“The Mystery of Irma Vep" at the Black Box Theatre -- April 13 through 22.
Thursday, April 13, through Saturday, April 22
Black Box Theatre, 1623 Fifth Avenue, Moline IL
With the New York Daily News calling the play "lunatic fun that keeps you in stitches" and the Village Voice hailing it as a "hearty mixture of thrills, laughter and extravagant showmanship," author Charles Ludlum's stage smash The Mystery of Irma Vep makes its long-awaited area debut at Moline's Black Box Theatre April 13 through 22, with the New York Post adding, "The story has to be seen to be believed."
An off-Broadway smash, The Mystery of Irma Vep is set in the English country estate of widower Lord Edgar Hillcrest, who has lost his beloved wife Irma Vep. He has recently remarried Lady Enid, an actress not quite settled into her new role as lady of the manor; indeed, her maid Jane doesn’t think she’ll ever measure up to Lady Irma. Meanwhile, Lord Edgar is disturbed by strange happenings out on the heath, including the monthly disappearance of his groundskeeper Nicodemus. In an effort to explain all of the strange happenings at the estate, Lord Edgar goes on an expedition to Egypt to discover the secrets of what truly lies behind the mystery of Irma Vep. With the 1984 show written by acclaimed Ridiculous Theatrical Company founder Ludlum, the self-described "penny dreadful" The Mystery of Irma Vep draws on everything from satire to classic films such as Wuthering Heights and Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca. The play's title, meanwhile, refers to the name of a character in the 1915 French movie serial Les Vampires and is an anagram of the word "vampire," and the cheeky inclusions were no doubt among the reasons that Time deemed the show "A true vaudeville tour de farce," with the magazine adding, "It's wonderful!"
Making his Black Box Theatre directing debut with The Mystery of Irma Vep is Max Moline, whose other recent area credits include helming All Shook Up for the Spotlight Theatre, An Oak Tree for the Mockingbird on Main, Gruesome Playground Injuries for the QC Theatre Workshop, and Speech & Debate for the Playcrafters Barn Theatre. Portraying all of nine roles in the comedy are area favorites T. Green and Max Robnett, veterans of the comedy brigade Haus of Ruckus (with Green a co-founder) whose additional local credits include, for Green, Genesius Guild's A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Spotlight's Matilda: The Musical, and for Robnett, the Spotlight's The Producers and the Mississippi Bend Players' Zombie Prom. Lora Adams, the Black Box's co-founder and artistic director, serves as set and costume designer, while the show's lighting design is by Reader theatre reviewer Roger Pavey Jr.
The Mystery of Irma Vep will be performed in downtown Moline April 13 through 22, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Admission is $13-16, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)284-2350 and visiting TheBlackBoxTheatre.com.
