They say it's the Year of the Woman, and, according to Professor Marjorie Garber, "Woman" can apply to a men dressed up as a woman. Or even a man dressed up as a woman dressed up as a man dressed up as a woman. And it's the "women" who steal the show in the Hasty Pudding's 145th production.

A sort of Hamlet with the roles reversed, this year's show pays homage to powerful women and sensitive men by going easy on the Wellesley jokes and tough on "the lech" in the lead.

Like the tabloid TV programs that its plot parodies, this year's Pudding show (as usual) tries to pull its jokes and puns from today's headlines. Sometimes writers Nell Benjamin and the brothers O'Keefe (Laurence and Mark) try a little too hard. But the performances, directed by Greg Minahan, couldn't be better. Overall, "Romancing the Throne" left us chairing for more. (Okay, we tried. We'll stop now.)

Benjamin and the O'Keefes weave the typical convoluted plot around a medieval kingdom ruled King-James Version (Jon Murad). His daughter, Princess Diana Loneliness (Bart St. Clair) comes home from a "fairy" college (Puck U.) to find that her mother, Queen Anne Sober, has mysteriously died.

For his new bride, the lascivious king has chosen Anne's sexy (if dim-witted) sister, the new Queen Morgana Prettiface (Adam Feldman). "What Ho!" declares the valiant Princess Diana, who sports a leather Hamlet-style mini-skirt. "Oh, that ho," she says when she sees Prettiface.

In a fit of religious disillusionment, the king declares that he is unworthy to rule and will pass the throne to his daughter when she finds an acceptable husband.

The grand competition for Diana's hand begins--much to the dismay of the princess, who wants to find a mate on her own. Who cares about big palaces and yachts if your husband is a terrible bore?

In her royal ditsiness, the new queen wants to pave over the Enchanted Woodyou-bemyneighbor to make room for the Fairest of the Mall. Prettiface's plan angers King Oberon Yourleft (Chip Rosetti), a tree-hugging Shakespearean sprite with magical powers. Hence, political subtext #1.

Prettiface has more devious plans in mind, however. Behind her vapid facade and over-stuffed brassiere lurks a scheming mind and evil intentions. She soon confesses to her grumpy (but hilarious) Jester Gigolo (John Berman) that she actually killed her sister so she could rule the kingdom.

The new queen conspires to fix the suitor competition so that Diana will pick Sir Galahad Lastnight (Skip Sneeringer), a notorious (and rather rotund) womanizer. Galahad agrees to marry Diana and kill her on their wedding night. That way no one will stand between Prettiface and the throne.

At first Galahad is reluctant; he says he doesn't know if he has the Gual to divide Diana in two parts.

But Prettiface won't let up. She eventually convinces him to do the deed, by promising she'll do a few deeds for him.

Then Beauluc, Duke of Hazarde (Steven Lucado) appears out of nowhere (literally). Diana is certain to fall for this Nordic-looking hunk of inbred manhood in tights. And so the plot thickens, as does Beauluc's strained Southern accent.

A mysterious prophetess, Crone Accustomed Toherface (Jeremy Nye) warns the kingdom (in appropriate iambic pentameter) that evil lies ahead. But the king, who has inexplicably become a Hindu, pays no heed. (The Pudding show can be awfully random.)

Morgana has one problem--she must get Diana to marry Galahad. With the help of a dragon, she concocts a love potion--"Number 9...0210"--that transforms Diana into a randy teen nightmare, throwing herself onto like, that big hunk, like, Galahad.