The current production of "Six Women With Brain Death (or Expiring Minds Want to Know)" at Patio Playhouse could use a name change -- since a cast-member's dropout has trimmed the "six women" to five -- but the lively and well-rehearsed musical still manages to come off without a hitch.

Produced by Such 'N' Such Productions and co-directed by Grant Gelvin and Jim Clevenger, "Six Women" is a self-described "snappy little revue" about pop culture, women's issues and just about everything else under the sun in the mid-1980s (when it was first produced).

In 10 very different vignettes, the musical takes on TV soap operas and game shows, Disney films, sensationalistic tabloid magazines, Barbie dolls, the Republican Party, and women's innermost thoughts on self-discovery, sex, friendship, parenting, press-on nails and even their menstrual cycle. Much of the language and content is R-rated, and many of the topical references are dated (Madonna, Michael Jackson's "Elephant Man bones" and Amway products make cameo appearances in the script), but it's still as "snappy" as promised.

Despite losing a castmate, Kris Bauer, April Boatman, Lisa Goodman, Julie Schwaben and Holly Stephenson are a tight ensemble who know their lines, their songs and their stage-blocking, and they keep the pacing and energy humming along through the tight, two-hour show (with intermission). The energy level gets a little too high, at times, in such a small theater space. The shouting, whistle-blowing, in-your-face singing and broad acting are a bit too much in spots.

The show's various sketches and songs are a mixed bag. Among the best is "High School Reunion," where two decades in the up-and-down lives of five high school girlfriends are condensed into a 10-minute skit bookended by their senior prom and fractious 20-year reunion. Another clever skit is "Game Show," where a soul-searching nerd becomes a contestant in a game show to determine if she's a Type A personality ("ball-biting" businesswoman), Type B (stay-at-home breast-feeding mom) or type C (sluttish sexpot).

On the weird edge are "All My Hospitals," where a drunken housewife has a close encounter with a character in her favorite soap opera, and "Severed Head Lives Six Days!," which is just what the title suggests. There's also a recurring segment with a very proper white women's operatic church choir who try their luck as Motown singers (complete with Afros) and country singers (with cowboy hats and broomstick horses). There's also a raunchy bit about Barbie and Ken, a strange sketch that blends "Bambi," "Rambo" and troubled teens, and a song involving headlight-bras, among others.

Musical director Emily Awkerman draws crisp, multilayered harmonies from the reduced cast and also serves as piano accompanist (along with Julie Barwick). And each of the five actresses has a chance to shine in the songs and scenes.

Goodman, who also produced the show, is the most natural and understated in the cast, and she's endearing both as the upbeat party-planner in "High School Reunion" and the head chorister in the choir scenes.

Bauer is a hoot as the tacky friend in "Severed Head Lives Six Days!" Super soprano Boatman has the comic sensibilities of Lucille Ball in the over-the-top "All My Hospitals." Schwaben, who also designed the lighting, is a tender-hearted misfit in "Game Show" and gospel-belting songleader in "God Is an Alien" and Holly Stephenson entertains as both "Prom Queen" and the disembodied head.

The show has no set, which is good (since complex scene changes would slow down the pacing), but the costumes are terrific. Stage manager Stephen Rich deserves credit for keeping the show humming through fast scene and costume changes.

The script for "Six Women" has a fringe festival or off-off-Broadway flavor, so Patio regulars accustomed to seeing PG-rated fare should be advised. This musical is not for children or those easily offended, but it is funny and well-staged.