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Ken Ludwig’s 2004 comic farce is called “Leading Ladies” because two cheesy British actors pretend to be women to bilk a dying old Pennsylvania widow of her inheritance.

But lo and beho-ho-hold if the leading ladies of Vintage Theatre’s crowd-pleasing new offering don’t turn out to be its actual — gender-correct — leading ladies.

Our duke and dauphin are Clark and Gable (rimshot) — rogue hacks touring Shakespeare scenes through rural Pennsylvania in 1958. How bad are they? Moose are walking out on them. But when they read a newspaper account of how a local woman has died before bequeathing two long-lost British relatives with million-dollar inheritances, they can’t resist staking their claim. That these relatives are women — one dumb since birth — does little to thwart their plan. Neither does their discovery that the woman’s premature death pronouncement was delivered by the worst doctor this side of the Poconos.

It’s “Some Like It Hot” meets “Annie,” “The Foreigner,” “Huckleberry Finn” and “Charlie’s Aunt.”

The bulk of the workload falls to Andy Anderson and ever-reliable comic sidekick Bernie Cardell, Denver’s answer to Nathan Lane. But holding this precarious comic premise together is the emerging Sarah Mae Johnson as Meg Snider. She’s the beautiful niece who’s set to marry an uptight, greedy old minister who wisely suspects these two characters of foul play (rimshot). Stuck in dead-end York, Meg dreams of being an actress, and the arrival of her fake cousins affords her two unlikely opportunities — to perform her favorite play, “Twelfth Night,” and the possibility of a truer love.

Johnson’s poise and comic skills give the piece its emotional grounding — not to mention, she’d make for a pretty fair Olivia. But if she’s a breath of fresh air, then roller skating newcomer Allison Smith is a gale-force wind. Channeling her inner Kristen Schaal (the Colorado-born “Flight of the Conchords” stalker), she infuses the perky, gullible ditz neighbor girl Audrey with quirky charm. And the great Jan Cleveland is a hoot as the acidic and decidedly not-quite-yet-dead grandma.

Anderson and Cardell draw deserved applause when they first emerge as women — Cardell sporting glittery wings and Anderson making Janet Reno seem petite. These hideous babes do not make for pretty women — and that’s part of the joke.

This is Cardell’s kind of comedy, a role that calls for broad physical gags, precision double-takes and vaudevillian gestures. Anderson has a tougher time keeping up, but in all, two nobly sweaty performances.

It would be easy to recite a laundry list of quibbles: Some entrances are missed, punch lines are mangled, and not every costume change comes off in time. Several support roles are undercast. But the elephant in this tiny, 60-seat room is that while it’s well-suited for one-setting plays, “Leading Ladies calls for four. And director Pat Payne’s problem-solving is, well, problematic.

That an entire scene takes place behind the audience violates a fundamental directing tenet. Even action onstage takes place without seeming regard for whether everyone watching can see it.

That said: It’s genuinely, consistently funny. Yes, “men in drag” is a tired comic concept, but this tireless cast delivers steady laughs — and that wins the day.

But I do have an ulterior motive in recommending it: The bigger a hit “Leading Ladies” becomes, the more likely theater companies might give Ludwig’s oversaturated farces, “Lend Me a Tenor” and “Moon Over Buffalo” a rest.

John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com

“Leading Ladies” *** (out of four stars)

Farce. Vintage Theatre, 2119 E. 17th Ave. Written by Ken Ludwig. Directed by Pat Payne. Through May 16. 2 hours, 30 minutes. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sundays. $18-$23. 303-839-1361,

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This weekend’s theater openings

“Angel Street” In this 19th-century psychological thriller, a maniac is slowly torturing his wife into insanity under the guise of kindness. An inspector from Scotland Yard is convinced the man is wanted for a murder committed 15 years earlier in this very house. Through May 8. Presented by the Coal Creek Community Theatre at the Louisville Center for the Arts, 801 Grant St., Louisville, 303-665-0955 or

“Arsenic and Old Lace”Darling old ladies Abby and Martha Brewster have turned their cellar into a cemetery in this enduring black comedy. Through May 16. Presented by TheatreWorks at the Bon Vivant Theatre, 3955 Cragwood Drive, Colorado Springs, 719-255-3232 or

“A Chorus Line” This groundbreaking, behind-the-scenes musical look at struggling Broadway dancers includes “One” and “What I Did For Love.” Through June 26. Carousel Dinner Theatre, 3509 S. Mason St., Fort Collins, 970-225-2555 or

“Godspell” In Stephen Schwartz’s energetic musical based on the gospel of St. Matthew, a group of friends acts out the story of Jesus. Through May 9. Jester’s Dinner Theatre, 224 Main St., Longmont, 303-682-9980 or

“Lloyd’s Prayer” Kevin Kling’s comic parable about Bob the raccoon boy, and what happens to him when he is captured and taught how to be human. Through May 15. Presented by Theatre Company of Lafayette at the Mary Miller Theater, 300 E. Simpson, 720-209-2154 or

“Mouse in a Jar” This experimental horror story is packed full of oddities as it explores the Stockholm Syndrome, where one develops an empathy for one’s captor. The LIDA Project describes this original ensemble work as “subterranean punk; acts of desperation required.” Through May 29. At the Bindery Space, 770 22nd St, 720-221-3821 or

“Nine” Dreamlike stage musical inspired by Federico Fellini’s autobiogrpahical film, “8 1/2.” Guido Contini is a famous film director who explores his relationships with women to unblock his cretivity. Through May 16. Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., 720-898-7200 or

“One Woman Show” In this new, ensemble-created comedy, Carol Anne has some things she needs to get off her chest, so she plans to write and star in her own one-woman show. Conceived by Mary-Laurence Bevington. Through May 8. Presented by Square Product Theatre at the Wesley Chapel, 1290 Folsom St., Boulder, 303-442-0234 or