Mystery of Irma Vep
at Silver Spur Theater,
Oct. 5-27
A Comedy-Satire-Parody of Gothic Melodramas
Two actors, eight characters, 35 costume changes, two hours of laughter
Two actors, eight characters, 35 costume changes, two hours of laughter
The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam opens Friday, Oct. 5 at the Salado Silver Spur Theater (108 Royal St.) and runs weekends through Oct. 27 . . . IF the two-member cast survives the 35 costume changes during the two-hour show.
“Irma Vep” is the definitive spoof of Gothic-horror melodramas, says Karen Ewton of Salado, who is co-directing the play with Melodee Lenz of Garland. “The New York Times called this show ‘far and away the funniest two hours on…stage’.”
“Begin with a sympathetic werewolf, a vampire and an Egyptian princess brought to life when her tomb is opened,” Lenz noted. “Add in the lightning-quick costume changes, a large number of sound cues, props and special effects and you get a comedy that has everything!”
The play is subtitled "A Penny Dreadful," one of those illustrated thrillers of the Victorian era, half novel and half comic book, maudlin and melodramatic. “Vep” satirizes several theatrical and film genres, including, Victorian melodrama, farce and Alfred Hitchcock’s creepy romantic film “Rebecca” (1940).
"‘Irma Vep’ is a parody with a gimmick, since all the roles, half of them women, are played by two male actors,” explained Ewton, a local teacher who is a regular on the Silver Spur stage and a playwright as well.
“It makes for a hilarious set of broad caricature-izations and a breathtaking stampede of near-instant costume changes,” added Lenz, who wowed audiences in the recent Spur hit, “The Seven-Year Itch.”
Logan Kimes of Dallas and Grainger Esch, the Silver Spur’s Co-founder and Artistic Director, portray eight characters, cross-dressing as required for the rights to perform the production.
Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .
