The Mystery of Irma Vep

"Court Theatre ... has a winner."

"Is it funny? Oh, yes. You will laugh your face off."

"Sean Graney’s revival of this two-man spoof—a whacked-out, blood-sucking blend of the likes of “Rebecca,” “Dracula” and “The Hound of the Baskervilles”—delivers a veritable plethora of yuks."

"... a show as deft, well-timed and polished as a discriminating vampire fang meeting its mark."

"Frankly, a little pseudo-gothic drag goes a long way as far as I'm concerned. But watching actors Erik Hellman and Chris Sullivan finesse their mind-boggling quick changes of costumes, wigs and facial hair -- and, even more mind-blowing, their rapid-fire morphing of character, which demands complete shifts of voice, accent, body language and demeanor -- is a giddy-making testament to the art and craft of acting. And these two guys do a terrific job without ever seeming to break a sweat."

"The play becomes as much about the challenges it tosses to its performers as the dark secrets that Lord Edgar Hillcrest (Hellman) conceals from his new wife, Enid (Sullivan). Those challenges are brilliantly met by this dynamic Laurel-and-Hardy pair."

"... a hilarious adventure mystery and door-slamming farce that is part horror movie, part melodrama, part Grand-Guignol, and part drag show pastiche ... Irma Vep is two hours of high camp humor and biting satire that is filled with many belly-laughs."

"This brilliant play is a tour de force for Hellman and Sullivan as they change innumerable dramatis personae. Victorian melodrama and classic film noir work together to offer a sensational evening of theatre."

"I've seen The Mystery of Irma Vep in two previous Chicago productions ... Court's rendition is better than both, in large part due to the improbable casting of Chris Sullivan in the roles originally played by Ludlam. A big, bald, burly guy whose voice can range from a basso growl to a shrill scream ... As Enid, he's womanly without a hint of cliched effeminacy. He towers over his nimble costar, Erik Hellman, which makes their broad, sometimes vulgar physical comedy all the funnier. At its best, their comical camaraderie suggests bawdy versions of Abbott and Costello or Hope and Crosby."

"Graney’s troupe takes the camp of Ludlam’s play and dials it up all the way"

"The two actors play a total of eight roles, men and women, in Charles Ludlam’s penny-dreadful pastiche of Hammer horror flicks and Rebecca -style gaslight thrillers. The production’s success hinges on the cast’s dexterity with quick changes—of costume, character and gender."

"The late playwright-director-designer Charles Ludlam’s comedy, which opens at Court Theatre this weekend, is at once a Victorian-style send-up of the Gothic melodrama, a hyper-verbose mish-mash of recherché literary references and delicious double-entendres, and homage to the midnight horror flicks of yesterday."