The Crowded Kitchen Players (CKP) perform a neat trick in its production of "A Flea in Her Ear," through Oct, 12, McCoole's Arts & Events Place, Quakertown.

CKP co-founder and "Flea" director Ara Barlieb turns inside out the stereotypes exploited by the French farce written by George Feydeau in the version by David Ives by casting against stereotype.

The results are a whirlwind of mirth.

Barlieb flips the script by aggressively casting females in the male roles and males in the female roles. The effect is not so much a drag show as an homage to some of the great comics who have played gender-switching roles on television and the movies: Milton Berle, Lucille Ball and, more recently, Dustin Hoffman in "Tootsie" and Robin Williams in "Mrs. Doubtfire."

The sleight-of-gender works well in the CKP "Flea" because the troupe's actors are up to the task, most notably Jay Fletcher in ostensibly the lead role as Raymonde Chandebise. Fletcher is convincing to the point of being unrecognizable as a male in the part. At the same time, he maintains an all-knowing "wink-wink" undercurrent.

Polar opposite Nancy Mikkelsen assays the role of Raymonde's husband, Victor Chandebise, and is also unrecognizably convincing. As with Fletcher, Mikkelsen commits totally to the portrayal. When these two, Fletcher and Mikkelsen, are on stage, the sparks -- and laughter -- fly.

One exception to the cross-dressing casting is Bill Gibson as Dr. Finache, although at one point even he gets in the dress-ups habit. Gibson is in full-glowering intensity mode to great effect. Pamela McLean Wallace also plays it straight as Eugenie.

Several of the actors have developed distinctive stage personas, no doubt at the behest of Barlieb. Sarah Thomas dons mustache and beard for Romain Tournel, a guise de guy. Jonathan Smith is a very tall femme as Lucienne Homenides De Histangua, a lady in red if ever there was one. Lucienne's husband, Don Carlos Homenides De Histangua, is played with Spanish brio, and a dollop of wacky spunk, by Rebecca Carlyon Wahoff.

Highly-charged energy fires up Rugby, played by Kate Hughes, who goes in the opposite direction in her other male role of Etienne, a mostly reserved chauffer all in black.

Rounding out the gender-bending cast are Patti Squire as Camille Chandebise, whose misunderstood pronouncements are a through-line of hilarity in the play; Michael Thew as Antoinette, a maid; Sharron Ferry as Ferrallon, a hotel owner; Michael Crotty as Olympia; and Rachel Tizol as Baptiste, one of the oddest characters to grace an area stage in recent memory.

The set is a workable combination of three or so doors that slam loudly with regularity. Nora Oswald's large murals and paintings could be exhibited in a gallery.

You may wonder why there has been no mention of plot. There, it has been mentioned.

The point, after all, is beside the plot in "A Flea in Her Ear." The laughs are the point -- from guffaws to chortles. For a comedy that will have you smiling from ear to ear, don't miss this production by the Lower Macungie-based CKP. Once again, the fun is in Quakertown.