BUFFALO — Studio Arena Theatre is
currently presenting the cross-dressing
satirical and ridiculous theater of
playwright Charles Ludlam.
The Mystery Of Irma Vep is a
hysterical spoof with all the classic
elements of a gothic melodrama.
Packed with whimsical wig, costume
and personality changes, two actors
play the roles of eight different outrageous
characters.
The mystery begins as Lord Edgar returns to his spooky
mansion in England with his naive
new bride, Lady Enid. She quickly
encounters a host of peculiar things,
including a portrait of Irma Vep,
Lord Edgar's deceased wife, which
hangs over the fireplace and has a
presence all of its own.
Audiences are kept guessing and laughing until
the end while Lady Enid, Lord Edgar
and the rest of the cast try to make
sense of The Mystery Of Irma Vep.
Ludlam, who was openly gay, was a
founder of the Ridiculous Theatrical
Company in New York City in 1967.
The Mystery of Irma Vep, is his
most popular play, and the only one
to enter the standard repertory, is in
which two actors manage, through a
variety of quick-change techniques, to
play seven roles in a send-up of gothic
horror novels. The original production
featuring Ludlam and his lover Everett
Quinton was a tour de force. In order
to ensure cross-dressing, rights to
perform the play include a stipulation
that the actors must be of the same
sex. In 1991 Irma Vep was the most
produced play in the United States.
The eight roles take the two actors
on so many twists and turns it
has been said that there is another
show simultaneously happening
back stage. Studio Arena's costume
crew and stage hands will work
behind the scenes with the same
amount of energy, precision and
exacting detail as the actors. "After
seeing this performance, audiences
will not only be impressed by the
show they saw on stage, but also by
the one they didn't see, back stage,"
said Kathleen Gaffney, Studio Arena's
CEO & Artistic Director. The creative
team at Studio Arena is available for
"behind the scenes" interviews that
will allow the public to see how they
achieve this quick-change artistry.
Buffalo residents, Ray Boucher and
Robert Rutland take on this Olympic-
level decathlon of acting challenges
by playing all eight characters
in this performance.
Rutland has been cast in more than eight Studio
Arena productions and is the former
director of the Theatre's Education
Department. Boucher is also active
in the Theatre's Education Department
serving as an acting instructor
for the Studio Arena Theatre School.
"I think people are going to absolutely
love this ridiculous spoof,"
said Mystery Of Irma Vep's
Director, Tony Caselli. "Who doesn't
like werewolves, guys in wigs and
laughing until you pee?!" —Staff
