Seattle Review: The Mystery of Irma Vep at INTIMAN

There are times when a play just gets lost on me. Many times I don't really care if I "get" the play or not, but some times I find myself wishing I understood it more clearly. The Mystery of Irma Vep: A Penny Dreadful is one of those plays.

INTIMAN Theatre's current production of Irma Vep is the second production I've seen, and I've been lost both times. The show, by Charles Ludlam, premiered in 1984, and spoofs gothic novels, horror movies and classic literature. The plot focuses on Lord Edgar Hillcrest and Lady Enid Hillcrest, whom are being plagued by the ghost of Edgar's former wife, Irma Vep, a wherewolf, and a vampire. The chase to rid himself of the ghost of his deceased wife leads Edgar to Egypt and in every room and courtyard of his estate. The plot, while complicated, seems unconnected in many cases. While there are always new characters and situations which keep the audience on the edge of their seats, it all hangs together by a tiny strand of suspension of dispelief.

The show itself truly is a tour-de-force for the two formidable performers. Mark Anders holds down a role (er, roles) well that he has played at Tacoma Actors Guild. The standout is Richard Ruiz, a musical theatre veteran, who brings an intense energy to the stage whether he's playing the calm Enid, the high-strung Nicodemus, or the odd tour guide, Alcazar. He's a powerhouse of spastic and hillarious comedy. Anders is mostly the "straight" man of the show, with Ruiz giving us the big belly laughs, though Anders gets his fair share of laughs in there too, most of them from his natural line deliveries.

The one fault of the show is that it never reaches towards the depths of farce and only gets halfway there. The moments where brilliance is almost succeeded are when Ruiz is allowed to unleash his formidable character and physical comedy skills. One wishes that director Jonathan Moscone had pushed the comedy envelope more instead of pushing the story element, since the story is somewhat confusing and muddled to begin with. And audience isn't exactly going to Irma Vep hoping to be enlightened by a great story, but they want to laugh at men in drag.

Just like the show, the designs are also lost on me. The set, by Neil Patel, seems to be some kind of inside joke that I'm not a part of, looking many times like an accomplished high school production (though that may be the joke). A simple and too "clean" looking red and green living room is surrounded by leopard print footlights and cyclorama. It's uniqueness and quirkiness all adds to the fun of the strange show being played on it. Geoff Korf's lighting design utilizes shadows throughout to help parody the horror movies the show is spoofing. Katherine Roth's costumes are very attractive and are surprisingly quick-changable, and Stephen LeGrand's sound effects help set the creepy-yet-funny mood.

While Irma Vep never reaches the heights of comedy it possibly could, it's worth seeing these two talented actors take on such a challenging show.