The Mystery of Irma Vep

Arena favorites Brad Oscar and J. Fred Shiffman return in Charles Ludlam’s riotously absurd gothic thriller, The Mystery of Irma Vep. Gleefully ransacking literary, cinematic and pop culture, this hilarious Obie Award-winner spoofs everything from Rebecca to Victoria Melodrama to The Mummy’s Curse. On the proverbial “dark and stormy night,” lady Enid (newly married to Egyptologist Lord Edgar) arrives at an estate under the spell of his deceased first wife and haunted by something that’s prowling the moors. She quickly encounters a werewolf, a vampire, an Egyptian princess and the mystery of Irma Vep, whose portrait hangs over the fireplace. With dozens of lightning-fast transformations, Brad and Fred portray all the characters – men, women, and monsters – in a gender bending tour-de-farce.