The Levi- and tee shirt-clad group of young men on the stage is evidently rehearsing for a play: they say their lines and listen as the director shouts advice. But there is something odd about this wholesome-looking bunch: they speak in high falsettos, some swing their hips a la Marilyn Monroe, one wears a luxuriant wig of long, flowing curls.

While the garb may seem unusual, the actors are taking part in one of Harvard's oldest theatrical traditions, the all-male Hasty Pudding show, where effeminacy is a virtue and padded bras are the norm.

Rehearsals for this year's production began last week, but the show has been in the making since last summer, when groups of undergraduates submitted scripts in competition to be selected by the officers of Hasty Pudding Theatricals Entires this year included a Depression stock market drama and a James Bond-type adventure, but Jungle Belles, written by Anthony D. Calnek '84 and Alison R. Taylor '84, won out.

"The Hasty Pudding's never done a jungle show before," says Adam M. Isaacs '84, president of Hasty Pudding Theatricals, adding "and this script has that sparkle that makes a real Pudding show."

Jungle Belles follows the long Theatricals tradition of farce, humorous melodrama, and painful puns. It is set in the 1480s in a jungle where Amazon "women" live under the benevolent rule of Queen Foraday. Their manless solitude is interrupted by the arrival of the Conquistadores, led by Captain Walter Wallcarpeting and the priest Missionary Position. A battle of the sexes ensues, further complicated by the romance of the Queen's daughter, Kitty Litter, and the Captain's son. Jim Panzee, not to mention the songs, dances, and infamous chorus line. The requisite happy ending is accomplished with the help of Kitty's Auntie Emanem and the witch doctor Witch Waysup.

Co-writer Calnek, who has acted in previous Pudding shows, says he used the jungle theme because "I like the setting and I really liked the idea of men being Amazons. "Calnek is also writing a history of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals which be hopes to publish for independent study credit.

Casting, which takes place in December, is the next ingredient in the makeup of a Pudding show. This year's tryouts, according to the actors, were widely attended and "very intense." The Pudding hopefuls must be able to act, dance, sing, and some, in addition, must have a certain feminine charm. Most have had acting and singing experience in high school and at Harvard. The selected cast, which numbers 16, is nearly all first-timers to the show, a situation unprecedented in the Theatricals, which usually relies on returning veterans of previous shows to fill the ranks of its requisite chorus lines.

"Having so much new talent is really good," says Ronald M. Duvernay '87, who plays Conquistadore Miguel Lefmebleu, adding "We're more enthusiastic because the production isn't old hat to us."

Most of the actors says they were attracted to the show because of its long tradition (Hasty Pudding Theatricals is the oldest theatrical organization in the country and is reputed to be the third oldest in the world) and its professionalism.

"It's a thrill to have devoted time to something that's such a well-known tradition," says W. Tucker McCrady '87, who plays Conquistadore' Juan Tadance.

"I tried out because my father was in one of these, playing a character called 'Humility,' and he said it was fun," says Brad Daley '86, who plays Amazon Dolly Llama, adding "so now I'm just one of the girls."

back to 1844, when Club, founded in 1795, cast a main in the role Bombastes Furioso, course, no female members. The play was given in Hollis 11 and the ovations for the man in the lowcut dress were so wild that the idea immediately became an institution.

The first Pudding plays were farces adapted from the professional stage, with costumes and scenery made by students and were performed in the club's room in Holworthy By the 1860s the shows played in Cambridge and Boston, and the scripts began to be exclusively student written. Some became nationally famous, such as 1882's Dido and /Eneas. reputed to be the first musical comedy in America. At this point the scripts also began to assume the pun-filled risque quality of today's shows. The trend culminated in 1915's Bumming in France which had tasteful characters like Ivan E. Rexionne and Willy Cracker.

In 1888 the club moved to its present quarters on Holyoke St., and in 1891 it began the tradition of presenting its show to the public each spring. Since then the show has become increasingly more elaborate, and the themes more centered on the here and now. Past productions, many with famous writers such as John Reed' 10, have satirized the Russian Revolution (1919's A Bit of Bolshevism), the McCarthy era (1952's Seeing Red), and college activism (1965's No Hard Feelings.)

Today, the Pudding show has grown to such proportions that Distaffina and the Hollis 11 crew would hardly recognize it. According to publicity manager Gloria R. Beck '85, this year's production has an overall budget of around $180,000, with $22,000 going to costume production and $9000 going to construction of the set. The Theatricals is nonprofit, with the revenue from each show paying the costs of production. This year, however, some of the money made from the show will be set aside to help renovate the Hasty Pudding Theater, which needs a new roof and seats.

"It's an historic building, but we can't afford to fix it," says Gail M. Aidinoff '84, co-producer adding, "This is the first time an effort's being made."