Enter into the longer nights of autumn with Charles Ludlam’s The Mystery of Irma Vep – A Penny Dreadful, directed by Carla Cackowski, a hilarious fright fest, complete with a cast of monsters and an Egyptian princess. This two-actor, multi-character show will spellbind audiences with its nod to the classic Gothic melodramas and early fright flicks of the 30s and 40s. October 4 – November 10. Fridays and Saturdays 8:00 pm; Sundays 2:30 pm; Saturday Matinees 10/12 & 10/19 at 2:30 pm. Tickets: $35.00. Seniors (60+): $30.00. Students: $25.00. Group rates are available parties of 6 or more. To buy tickets or make reservations please visit www.ActorsCo-op.org or call (323) 462-8460. Actors Co-op Crossley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St. 90028 (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood 90028.
Director Carla Cackowski brings her skills and prowess from her Second City days and embeds the two actors in the free-form structure of improvisation so Ludlum's words are expressed with freedom, clarity, and (above all) humor-driven characters.
Both actors are superb in their roles (I believe nine, total). But each come at them from much different comedy stylings.
They are clearly very talented performers. The pair has drawn seven very different characters and they have mastered the art of physical comedy and quick changes quite well. The production feels a little on the cheap side, but Vicki Conrad’s costume creations stood out. This is not director Carla Cackowski’s métier; her physical shtick just doesn’t play well, which makes our interest turn on and off. I see in her bio that she’s never directed a play, just sketch comedy and a one-woman comedy show. Ah, that explains it. The mystery of this Irma Vep solved!
Actors Co-Op in Hollywood is currently presenting this outrageous farce and high cardio workout for two performers...You may easily solve The Mystery of Irma Vep but you will probably laugh yourself silly doing so.
Director Carla Cackowski has a deft hand in guiding the two actors in the play. Yes, two. All roles are divvied up between John Alee (Lord Edgar/Jane Twisden/Intruder) and Isaac Wade (Lady Enid/Nicodemus/Alcazar/Pev Amri), two men with superhuman energy and fortitude who run this way and that making 35 costume changes in seconds while somehow ending up in the right spot each time.
Kudos to the spot-on production crew, with splendid costumes by Vicki Conrad, malleable scenic design by Greg McGoon and Jessa Orr, flexible lighting by Martha Carter, scary sound by David B. Marling, and everyone else who added a goose bump to the show. THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP is great family fare – but make sure the kids are old enough to enjoy the scare without panicking. Acting is broad, and plot is preposterous – just right for an absurd, silly, and outlandish Halloween treat.
Ludlam’s play is a classic, a tribute to old Universal Studios monster movies and gothic melodramas, and it retains all of the quick wit and affection for the genres it satirizes. Allee and Wade do their best and are generally entertaining.
Overall, it is a funny show, well executed with great performances. In the genre of farces where minimal characters play a maximal number of characters, it works quite well but also raises some interesting questions.
Director Carla Cackowski brings her skills and prowess from her Second City days and embeds the two actors in the free-form structure of improvisation so Ludlum's words are expressed with freedom, clarity, and (above all) humor-driven characters.
Both actors are superb in their roles (I believe nine, total). But each come at them from much different comedy stylings.
They are clearly very talented performers. The pair has drawn seven very different characters and they have mastered the art of physical comedy and quick changes quite well. The production feels a little on the cheap side, but Vicki Conrad’s costume creations stood out. This is not director Carla Cackowski’s métier; her physical shtick just doesn’t play well, which makes our interest turn on and off. I see in her bio that she’s never directed a play, just sketch comedy and a one-woman comedy show. Ah, that explains it. The mystery of this Irma Vep solved!
Actors Co-Op in Hollywood is currently presenting this outrageous farce and high cardio workout for two performers...You may easily solve The Mystery of Irma Vep but you will probably laugh yourself silly doing so.
Director Carla Cackowski has a deft hand in guiding the two actors in the play. Yes, two. All roles are divvied up between John Alee (Lord Edgar/Jane Twisden/Intruder) and Isaac Wade (Lady Enid/Nicodemus/Alcazar/Pev Amri), two men with superhuman energy and fortitude who run this way and that making 35 costume changes in seconds while somehow ending up in the right spot each time.
Kudos to the spot-on production crew, with splendid costumes by Vicki Conrad, malleable scenic design by Greg McGoon and Jessa Orr, flexible lighting by Martha Carter, scary sound by David B. Marling, and everyone else who added a goose bump to the show. THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP is great family fare – but make sure the kids are old enough to enjoy the scare without panicking. Acting is broad, and plot is preposterous – just right for an absurd, silly, and outlandish Halloween treat.
Ludlam’s play is a classic, a tribute to old Universal Studios monster movies and gothic melodramas, and it retains all of the quick wit and affection for the genres it satirizes. Allee and Wade do their best and are generally entertaining.
Overall, it is a funny show, well executed with great performances. In the genre of farces where minimal characters play a maximal number of characters, it works quite well but also raises some interesting questions.
