The Mystery of Irma Vep opens at Shakespeare & Company

[Lenox, Mass.] An irreverent pastiche of B-movies, Victorian melodrama, and pulp fiction, the new Shakespeare & Company production of The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam features Josh Aaron McCabe and Ryan Winkles—two of the actors from last season’s hilarious hit The Hound of the Baskervilles—once again changing costumes at a furious rate to play all eight characters. Directed by Kevin G. Coleman, this imaginative parody of the macabre promises audiences a humorous high-camp romp.

 

“Josh and Ryan are wonderfully adept at playing multiple roles in a single production,” Coleman says, “and I have no doubt that these delightfully versatile actors will leave audiences amused, aghast, and mesmerized—not just at their comedic prowess, but at how well each looks in a dress.”

 

Previews of The Mystery of Irma Vep begin February 4; opening night is February 12; and the show runs through March 27, in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre.

 

The plot is a melding of many genres: Lady Enid has inherited Mandacrest Manor, an ominous Victorian estate, from the recently deceased Lady Irma, who had a decided penchant for the occult and may still be watching over her former home.

 

With a one-legged servant indoors and a wolf haunting the heath outdoors, Lady Enid is far from comfortable in her new surroundings, especially when the werewolves, mummies, and vampires make their appearances.

 

The Mystery of Irma Vep promises to be yet another very funny winter production for Shakespeare & Company, in what is becoming a most welcome cold-weather tradition in the Berkshires. 

 

Evening performances are at 7; matinees are at 2. Tickets range from $12 to $48.

Shakespeare & Company

70 Kemble St.

Lenox, Mass.

413.637.3353

www.shakespeare.org.