(Technically, this show is not "Acadiana theatre", but consider it an experiment to see whether or not there is any interest in reviews of plays from more distant theatres. Please let me know what you think.)
Inspired lunacy is the order of the day in Le Chat Noir's production of Charles Ludlam's camp classic, "The Mystery of Irma Vep." Ludlam's 1984 play is a theatrical fever dream of lightning-fast costume changes, arch performances, goofy one-liners, silly sight gags and the mashed-up conventions of gothic horror tales that aspires only to make us double over in laughter. The play is one of the lasting legacies of Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company, and it's easy to see why. The show's a relentless and hilarious hoot.
The plot -- convoluted and wonky as it is -- centers on Lady Enid and her husband Edgar, who are trying to fashion some sort of a regular marriage under the looming specter of Edgar's dead first wife, Irma Vep. Irma died under suspicious circumstances -- as did her son, Victor, and her son's pet wolf, Victor (who may or may not still be alive as a werewolf). Their servants, Nicodemus and Jane, harbor secrets of their own, and when a mysterious attack on Lady Enid occurs, Edgar departs to Egypt to uncover a mythical mummy while Jane and Nicodemus tend to Enid.
It's pointless to delve further into the play's narrative machinations. They're increasingly weird and ultimately besides the point. What matters is the seemingly endless string of jokes and gags that come bounding out of every scene -- all clever, all knowing, all funny.
The play also charges two actors to play all of the show's roles, resulting in some terrific moments of rapid-fire changes and the winking delight of some goofy cross-dressing.
Everything about "Vep" is wildly over the top. Thank God. Le Chat's production is in the very capable hands of Ricky Graham and Varla Jean Merman, both regulars (and favorites) of New Orleans audiences, and they handle their monster acting assignments with aplomb. Graham brings some arch severity to his Jane, and he gives his Edgar a plummy effeteness that scores big laughs.
The show's real revelation (for me, anyway) was Varla Jean Merman's outrageously brilliant performance. I've been a fan of her drag work for years (she's a scene-stealing delight in the indie film "Girls Will Be Girls), but I wasn't quite prepared for the accomplished work she'd deliver here. Her Lady Enid is a smartly-modulated version of her Varla persona and her one scene as a horned-up, Ann-Margaret-aping mummy is comic gold. But in the role of Nicodemus, the hunchback servant, Merman dazzles. It's a funny and ultimately touching creation -- his final moments are actually heart-wrenching -- and it's a performance that made me realize Jeffery Roberson (the man behind the Merman) is just a damn fine actor. Period.
There's nothing serious at stake in "Irma Vep" -- even the show's emotionally florid ending scores some laughs --but the show is a lovely, brilliantly crafted evening of theatre. The costumes are gorgeous, the set is filled with hidden surprises, the performances are killer, the direction is spot-on and the whole thing pulses with a playful exuberance that's ultimately irresistible.
Go. That's it. Just go.
---Cody Daigle
"The Mystery of Irma Vep" by Charles Ludlam
Le Chat Noir. New Orleans.
Through Oct. 24.
For Info, visit www.cabaretlechatnoir.com
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