Open Rehearsal: The Court Theatre Blog
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November 20, 2009
Irma Vep Preview #8
Tonight’s the final preview at Court Theatre of The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam. So far we’ve received seven (seven!) standing ovations over the course of the preview process. It’s a testament to how quickly the actors, Erik and Sully, have mastered their roles. Our director Sean Graney is working and tweaking the show to the eleventh hour, of course, but the spirit and comedy of the play has been there from the start.
It’s a tradition at Court Theatre that for every production, in the midst of previews, the staff of the theater meet to voice their opinion on that production—this includes every staff member from the Artistic Director to the Box Office Manager to the Costume Shop Manager to the Development team. While many of us differed in our opinions about specifics artistic choices, we all expressed a genuine excitement that Court Theatre had chosen to do this show, and that it’s being so justly executed.
Have I said enough good things about this show? Yes, probably, but I’ll continue to say more. I’m just excited for opening weekend, when this thing will really burst open and we can share it with the rest of the city. Join us!
The Mystery of Irma Vep runs Wednesday through Sunday until December 13.
November 14, 2009
Irma Vep Preview #3
I’m blogging a quick note during the intermission of preview #3 for The Mystery of Irma Vep. Every night, the show is getting tighter and brisker, and so far I think it’s really found its optimal pace. Farce really is a sensitive infernal machine; the cutting of a few seconds here and there makes a disproportionately large difference. At last night’s talk back, Sean proudly announced that the backstage team had shortened the quickest costume change down to 7.5 seconds, while the best Ludlam ever achieved was 9 seconds. So come out and see records broken!
The Mystery of Irma Vep runs Wednesday through Sunday until December 13.
November 12, 2009
First Preview Tonight
I’m not an official production dramaturg on The Mystery of Irma Vep, so when I saw the show’s final dress rehearsal last night, it was really the first time I’d seen the show in any fully realized form. I have to say that this show is going to be a blast to watch during previews. Our director Sean Graney has tricked out the production with a number of special effects and derring-do costume changes that even Charles Ludlam never attempted, and while it’s going to take a few performances to smooth out the technical bumps, Erik and Chris are completely owning their performances and they’re a joy to watch. You know you’ve got the right actors when you actually look forward to the technical snafus, as Erik and Chris have been accepting them not as mistakes but as playful proposals of further comic business.
I should also mention that every performance of The Mystery of Irma Vep begins with a mini-concert on guitar and banjo by Erik Hellman and Chris Sullivan, where they cover their repertoire of “spooky hits.” Come out and play with us!
The Mystery of Irma Vep begins previews tonight, November 12.
(Photo by Michael Brosilow)
November 3, 2009
Mystery Allusion #4
Charles Ludlam’s knowledge of literature was formidable, and he peppered The Mystery of Irma Vep with canny allusions. We’re featuring several of those allusions every week until the opening of The Mystery of Irma Vep. Today’s selection is:
HAMLET by William Shakespeare
BACKGROUND: Universally regarded as the navel of Western drama, deemed by T.S. Eliot an “artistic failure,” it received its first performance sometime around 1602 by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men with Shakespeare starring as the Ghost.
THE ALLUSION: This one’s a twofer:
| THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP | HAMLET |
| Lord Edgar: From his fair and unpolluted flesh May violets spring! | Laertes: Lay her in the earth, And from her fair and unpolluted flesh May violets spring. |
| Lord Edgar: Enid, there are more things on heaven and earth than are dreamed of in our philosophies! | Hamlet: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. |
And for your edification, 3 Hamlet‘s:
1. Sir Laurence Olivier’s “Yorick” speech:
2. Charlie Newell’s Hamlet at Court Theatre (with Yasen Peyankov as the Gravedigger):
3. The Wooster Group’s Hamlet, performed in front of the Richard Burton Hamlet:
Check this blog again for a brand new Ludlam literary trick!
November 3, 2009
Irma Vep Snapshot
IN REHEARSAL: Chris “Sully” Sullivan as Egyptian Princess Pev Amri (standing) and Erik Hellman as Lord Edgar Hillcrest. (Photo: Michael Brosilow)
