Six performers and a band, they all get to sing a couple of showcase songs and there are a few grandstanding ensemble pieces: the formula for Six is a pretty simple one. But my god it works.
The musical - themed around Henry VIII's wives but you probably already knew that - is just fun. Watching the cast have a ball on stage is infectious - and a bit like if you crossed Horrible Histories with a really good, 21st century hen party.
The all female cast and band bring energy, wit and some stellar vocal cords, and on Tuesday night the audience at Newcastle's Theatre Royal loved it. The show is zippy, running for not much more than an hour, and the genre hopping tracklist has something for everyone.
Read more: Still raw, real and relevant - review of I, Daniel Blake at Northern Stage
There is one major difficulty in writing a review though, this feminist phenomenon makes very clear that judging Henry VIII's wives against one another is really quite demeaning. But, to be clear, there's not a weak link amongst any of the six stars playing Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna (not Anne!) of Cleves, Katherine Howard or Catherine Parr. I'll say this: you'll probably have a favourite, and it'll probably be different to that of the person next to you.
That said, on press night in Newcastle, standout moments included Erin Caldwell's showstopping ballad - playing Jane Seymour she gets the best chance to show off an incredible vocal range during the tune Heart of Stone. And then there's Kenedy Small's badass Anna of Cleves. She sells the sassiest role in the show with delight - and had the audience eating out of her hand during one of the show's racier numbers.
Despite the odd innuendo, Six will entrance theatre fans across the age spectrum - perhaps you'll love the skit reimagining dastardly King Henry's search for a(nother) bride as Tinder with portraits, or maybe the historical references, such as to Katherine Howard's late lover Thomas Culpepper will be exactly the history fix you need.
Truth be told, Six manages to be educational, brilliantly modern and well worth your time. The show really is Six-ty minutes plus of Her-story - and a brilliant corrective to some of your least favourite history lessons.
At the end of Tuesday's show, the cast ask if there isn't anything better they could be doing - there's not, as they're top class on stage, but the opportunistic audience member who was keen to get them out on the tiles in Newcastle this week should be applauded. These actors do really put on a cracking night out.
