Into the Breeches!, Hub Theatre Company of Boston, Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. All tickets are pay-what-you-can. www.hubtheatreboston.org

Women were not allowed to act on stage in the Elizabeth Age—in fact not until 1660 in England. As many theater buffs know, male actors dressed up as women and played female roles. During the last century the proverbial tables have turned as great actresses tackle some of Shakespeare's greatest male roles—among them Dame Judith Anderson as Hamlet and Olympia Dukakis as King Lear (the latter in a strong performance seen by this critic).

Recently, accomplished dramatist George Brant ("Grounded") has focused on such a gender-bending scenario in his wise and affecting play "Into the Breeches!"(2018).

Now the always-exploring Hub Theatre Company of Boston has smartly added a veteran female director—namely Bryn Boice—who has already staged a sublime all-female cast "Julius Caesar." Thanks to Boice and a strong ensemble, the Hub Theatre area premiere at the Boston Center for the Arts proves both a celebration of the power of women and the gender-bending friendliness of Shakespeare's plays.

The plays in question here are the history plays known as "The Henriad"—namely Henry IV, Parts I and II, and Henry V. Set here in the Hub (and in other respective cities where the play is produced) at a fictional renowned theater called The Oberon Playhouse, "Into the Breeches!" centers on the attempt of artistic director Andrew's wife Maggie to stage the four-hour production in the absence of her husband and male actors, all serving in America's armed forces in World War II.

As Maggie assembles a cast of largely novice actresses and confronts a variety of company board reservations, Brant's clever dramedy works on two levels --the ups and downs of the developing staging and the personal concerns of the actresses and Maggie herself in a play-within-a-play. The inner play also includes issues involving emotionally conflicted stage manager Stuart and African-American costume designer Ida.

How Maggie—between the proverbial rock and a hard place—decides to respond to board positions about gays and blacks performing on stage will serve as a moment of truth for her about personal courage in a kind of home front war.

By its nature, such a play involving a community of characters requires a cast that can both define the characters' diverse personalities and become a tightly knit ensemble. Under director Boice's careful guidance, Hub Theatre's players turn in the kind of lively, amusing and loving performance that Shakespeare would likely embrace. Lauren Elias as intrepid Maggie moves convincingly from initial uncertainty about the production and her mostly untested actors to admiration for their talents.

Throughout, Elias captures the novice director's empathy with fellow women worrying about their fighting men. Kathleen Picket is a standout as feisty Oberon Playhouse veteran Celeste. She displays sharp timing and proper attitude as Celeste repeatedly questions rehearsal choices and equal warmth as she grows to appreciate her fellow cast members.

The supporting players are uniformly strong. Jessica Golden catches Grace's inner strengths and considerable talent—especially as she convinces even demanding Celeste of her readiness. Lily Ayotte has the right as ingénue June. June Kfoury is properly amusing and appealing finding a place in the cast as board member's wife Winnifred, while gifted Steve Auger makes his very good most of her initially skeptical but ultimately approving husband Ellsworth.

Robert Orzalli smartly balances Stuart's sharpness as stage manager and vulnerability as the only male in the production. Nettie Chickering has all of Ida's costuming savvy and majesty as a "Henriad" performer. Katherine Lawrence's costumes for the play and inner play are equally vivid.

In "Henry V," King Henry rousingly invokes the spirit of his countrymen. The same can be said for Hub Theatre Company's winningly attired "Into the Breeches!"