THE ARTS ETC
THE MYSTERY OF
IRMA VEP
UNFOLDS AT PLAYHOUSE ON PARK
SPECIAL TWO-WEEK LIMITED ENGAGEMENT
JANUARY 18 - 29, 2012
REVIEWED BY DEBRA TINKHAM
The Mystery of Irma Vep, staged in Mandacrest, on the moors, was hilariously delightful with one liners, inappropriate facial expressions and seven characters played by just two - Rich Hollman and Sean Harris. Hollman first appears as Jane Twisden, the housekeeper for Lord Edgar Hillcrest - also played by Hollman. The drawing room of the Hillcrest estate has a large photo of Lady (Irma Vep) Hillcrest, the Lord’s deceased wife, hanging over the fireplace. Enter, Nicodemus Underwood, played by Harris, who looks like the Hunchback of Notre Dame - with a wooden leg.
Extremely dedicated to the Hillcrest family, he converses to himself that it was too early for Lord Hillcrest to marry Lady Enid, but Lady Enid is so attractive (NOT) as was the late Lady (NOT). Nicodemus is in love with Jane and the late Lady Hillcrest and the new Lady Hillcrest. Yes, the new Lady Enid is a spitting image of the late and robust Lady Hillcrest, and will not have her portrait on the wall. It would be a horrible curse to remove Lady Hillcrest’s portrait, but it must be done. A squabble entails, there’s a gun, the gun goes off, the gun shoots the portrait of the late Lady Hillcrest. As Nicodemus and Lady Enid stare in disbelief at the portrait, blood begins to trickle down. Well, this bloody thing can’t remain on the wall. Before too long, a portrait of the new Lady Hillcrest is gracing the walls.
Clever innuendos, witty one-liners and made-up words add to the farcical nature of the play. Lord Edgar Hillcrest needs to get away for a while and chooses Egypt. In conversation, he references that he has studied “Egyptology” merely by being in Egypt.
The late Lady Hillcrest and Lord Hillcrest had a son named Victor and a dog named Victor, who were both killed by a wolf. The wolf has a dead part in the play, but the dead wolf is the wrong wolf. Oh dear.
Tim Hache, Lighting Designer for Playhouse on Park did a remarkably effective job with lighting and timing of lighting. Lord Hillcrest was going to burn one of the late Lady’s letters and the technique was mysteriously impressive. Instant flame; instant darkness.
Director Peter James Cook said of playwright Charles Ludlam’s play, “Ridiculous Theatre, Scourge of Human Folly…This is farce, not Sunday School. Illustrate hedonistic calculus. Test out a dangerous idea, a theme that threatens to destroy one’s whole value system. Treat the material in a madly farcical manner without losing the seriousness of the theme. Show how paradoxes arrest the mind. Scare yourself a bit along the way.”
Many chuckling moments, many one liners, but somehow in the retelling, the cumulative effect of hysteria loses some of its bite. Nevertheless, it is definitely a MUST SEE. Totally entertaining for young and old alike. A fast two hours. And, of course, even the costume changes contribute to the farce.
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More About
The Mystery of Irma Vep
PUBLICITY RELEASE
The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam was named one of 1984's best plays by Time Magazine and New York Times and has since been hailed as a hilarious tribute to gothic horror films and a charming parody of well-known classics such as "The Mummy's Curse" and Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca"
Directed by Peter James Cook (NYC's Sailor Man, The Tempest, Paula Abdul's Straight Up Vampire, Radio Star) and praised as a "a true vaudeville tour de force." by Time Magazine, Irma Vep, stars Playhouse on Park's Sean Harris (Co-founder/Artistic Director, NYC's Hamlet, Dinner with Friends, Much Ado About Nothing, etc. and Director of Drama at West Hartford's Hall High School) and Rich Hollman (NYC's Theaters such as Cherry Lane and La MaMa, Off Broadway's The Servant of Two Masters, and appearances on TV's Law and Order, As the World Turns, and Guiding Light), who through a quick change marathon, portray all 8 characters including vampires, werewolves, and damsels in distress!
After winning over audiences together in the 2010 success, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, Harris and Hollman are returning to the playhouse stage for what is sure to be yet another memorable performance, so do not miss out!
In this two-week limited engagement, special shows have been added including Tuesday, January 24th at 7:30pm and a late night performance on Saturday, January 28th at 11:30pm. The late night showing is BYOB and all seats are only $20! Also, note that there will be an opening night pre-performance wine and cheese reception on Friday, January 20th from 7pm - 8pm and a talk back with the cast after the 2pm show on Sunday, January 22nd.
Previews begin January 18 and the play opens officially January 20, 2012 at West Hartford's award winning professional theatre, Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road. Tickets range in price from $22.50 - $32.50 (Students, Seniors, Let's Go Arts members save $2.50 per ticket) and can be purchased in person or over the phone at the box office, Tuesday to Friday (10am - 6pm); Saturday (10am - 2pm) and 2 hours before curtain; or online at www.PlayhouseOnPark.org . Preview show tickets are available for $15.00 and subscriptions to all remaining shows in the 2012 Main Stage Series can be purchased for less than the cost of a Broadway show! For more information, complete bios, special dining offers, and ticket deals, please visit the website.
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