James Stacy and Topper Fabregas play cross-dressing actors impersonating their way to a $2-million inheritance in "Leading Ladies." Photo courtesy of GR Rodis

MANILA, Philippines – From “Some Like It Hot” with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis to “Bosom Buddies” with Tom Hanks, cross-dressing males make for easy comedy.

And so it is with Repertory Philippines’ current production of Ken Ludwig’s “Leading Ladies,” with James Stacy and Topper Fabregas donning the wigs and high heels.

The two actors play two cash-strapped actors Leo and Jack who are reduced to doing Shakespeare excerpts at a Moose Lodge gathering. So when they find out about a rich but dying old woman looking for her two missing nieces, they sift through their costume trunk and impersonate their way in the hope of getting a $2-million inheritance.

But when they meet their “cousin” Meg (Cris Villonco) and Audrey (Giannina Ocampo), the girlfriend of the son of the old woman’s doctor, the actors find themselves falling in love, setting up a madcap comedy as Leo and Jack slip in and out of character – and their dresses – to pursue both the girls and the millions.

What makes “Leading Ladies” work is that Stacy and Fabregas are really, uhm, odd as women. Dustin Hoffman in “Tootsie” and Robin Williams in “Mrs. Doubtfire” appear strangely maternal in drag, but not these two actors.

Consider their entrance: the tall Stacy wearing a Cleopatra costume while Fabregas, in Shirley Temple curls, puts on a fairy dress with wings from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” And when they find out that one of the nieces is supposed to be deaf and dumb, the scene is so ridiculous that it’s hilarious.

Add in a case of mistaken identity, a hint of lesbian attraction and a performance of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” with its cross-dressing characters and you have a crazy riot of an evening.

Ludwig takes too much time with the exposition but after establishing his premise, the play kicks into high gear. Michael Williams’ direction also helps clarify the convoluted plot and allows the play’s inherent comedy to shine through without needless prodding.

The ensemble is clearly in synch but Stacy is the obvious star. Given the play’s many twists, Stacy never resorts to cheap gimmicks to get quick laughs, instead giving a rather straightforward performance in a flamboyant role.

While PETA’s “Haring Lear” takes its cross-dressing Shakespeare very seriously, Rep takes the opposite direction with “Leading Ladies,” embracing the absurdity of it all and offering a purely entertaining piece of theater.

"Leading Ladies" runs until March 4, 2012 with shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and matinee shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, Makati City.