In “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” author Charles Ludlam satirizes Gothic romance novels, pulp fiction, and horror movies. But he doesn’t stop there. With two actors playing eight different roles and changing costumes 35 times, Ludlam is also laughing at the entire craft of theatrical production. The plot is borrowed from Gothic romances such as Daphne de Maurier’s “Rebecca”and Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights,” with fantastic characters from “penny dreadful” fiction and “C” rated movies tossed in.
via The Citizen http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/10-18-2013/mystery-irma-vep-opens-next-week-newnan
In “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” author Charles Ludlam satirizes Gothic romance novels, pulp fiction, and horror movies. But he doesn’t stop there. With two actors playing eight different roles and changing costumes 35 times, Ludlam is also laughing at the entire craft of theatrical production. The plot is borrowed from Gothic romances such as Daphne de Maurier’s “Rebecca”and Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights,” with fantastic characters from “penny dreadful” fiction and “C” rated movies tossed in.