They survived the old man with the meaty chicken legs and the messy beard. They survived 600 years of patriarchal history, of the underbelly of who-lives-who-dies-who-tells-your-story. And, believe it or not, the women of "Six" also survived the great pandemic closure of 2021. Remarkably, the original stars of the Broadway musical were present on the stage Thursday and firing on all human cylinders, even though their show was beheaded in its prime some 19 months ago, missing its official opening, and maybe a Tony Award or two, by one day. For those of us who were present at "Six" on that final scary Wednesday — March 11, 2020 — back when the world was a different place, heading to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre to see, or re-see, the British musical from Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss finally open felt cathartic. 'Six' on Broadway (Joan Marcus) Instead of running from the theater into the fresh air like a scared rat questioning its personal decision-making, this generally un-rodent like, vaccinated critic chilled out and nodded his rhythmic head for the entire proceedings. Having fun, as this frothy, clever, good-time show demands? One hundred percent. All shows open in a temporal context they can't always control. "Six," especially at just 80 intermissionless minutes and with low costs, an existent YouTube fame, a gently progressive sensibility and a youthful target demographic, is as well-suited to this moment as any piece of live entertainment. Some musicals move the formative bar of the art form, others have riveting story lines, a few have scores of aching beauty. This is not one of any of those musicals. 'Six' on Broadway (Joan Marcus) The Snapchat-friendly "Six," which has already been a hit in London and Chicago, is a fine example of a resilient subgenre of populist musicals you might think of as really-clever-idea shows, which is to say modest attractions that work because of the strength of their concept. Here, Marlow and Moss (who share credit for book, music and lyrics) took the six wives of history's lousiest husband and made a gamble that their various, mostly terrible fates (variously divorced, beheaded, died and survived, as you likely know) were far enough in the past that people could now find their life and times fun, especially if the women themselves were given voice and allowed to make their cases for their places in "herstory" from beyond the grave.