Sly script, comic cast crack two-man 'Mystery'
The best way to experience "The Mystery of Irma Vep" is to sit back, enjoy the ride and not ponder too deeply the outrageous plot, excessive exposition and narrative detours.
To do otherwise would diminish the flat-out fun of Charles Ludlam's highly theatrical sendup of gothic romances and horror tales, which tips its hat to Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca" and Bram Stoker's "Dracula," as well as Shakespeare, Ibsen, Poe and a couple of Lon Chaney Jr. horror films from the 1940s.
Better to simply relish the playwright's sly literary and cinematic references and admire the dexterity of the two actors who portray the caricatures oops, characters who make up this famously zany farce.
In Buffalo Theatre Ensemble's able revival, that challenge falls to ensemble members Bryan Burke and William "Sandy" Smillie." Both have done two-man shows at BTE in the past, and both meet Ludlam's demands in this traditionally campy show marked by lightning-fast costume changes (which the crew executes to near perfection), multiple accents and broad physical comedy.
Director Connie Canady Howard downplays the over-the-top style that typically defines this show (a style that characterized BTE's brilliant "Noises Off" from several years ago). The result is a decidedly less madcap, but still entertaining production that mines its laughs from its actors, deftly delivered double-entendres and wry expressions.
Except for a brief sojourn to Cairo (including a very funny descent into an Egyptian tomb whose funerary vessels look a lot like Bert and Ernie from "Sesame Street"), the action unfolds in the drawing room of the Mandacrest Manor, owned by Lord Edgar Hillcrest (Smillie) and located of course on Britain's moors. Edgar has returned to his home with his new bride Enid (Burke) who worries that her husband is still pining for his late wife Irma, whose imposing portrait hangs above the fireplace, unsettling the new Lady Hillcrest.
Also on hand is Jane (Smillie), the housekeeper wary of her new mistress, and Nicodemus (Burke), the good-natured swineherd who has a soft spot for Jane and a secret he must keep.
Allison Greaves Amidei's hair and costumes earn kudos. Michael W. Moon's stately set and moody lighting and Galen G. Ramsey's spot-on sound design add a touch of suspense to Ludlam's slapstick.
<p class="factboxheadblack">"The Mystery of Irma Vep" </p>
<p class="News">★★★</p>
<p class="News"><b>Location:</b> McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. (630) 942-4000 or <a href="http://atthemac.org" target="new">atthemac.org</a>.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Showtimes:</b> 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 17</p>
<p class="News"><b>Running time:</b> About two hours with intermission</p>
<p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $25-$33 </p>
<p class="News"><b>Parking:</b> Free lot adjacent to the arts center</p>
<p class="News"><b>Rating:</b> For teens and older, some sexual innuendo</p>