Act II Newbies Take On a Very Comedic Performance With A Strong Message

Just in time for Halloween, newest production will get everyone in the mood to celebrate and believe in vampires, werewolves, mummies and more for a night.

“The Mystery of Irma Vep may truly be the most joyous directing process in a 35-year career,” said director Harriet Power, who directed Act II’s previous show, Sylvia, as well.

The Mystery of Irma Vep is dreadful. A penny dreadful, really. The term comes from a type of British fiction published in the 19th century that would feature gaudy weekly serial stories, with each part costing just a penny. The cheap paper and outrageous story lines are what inspired Charles Ludlam’s Irma Vep.

“I may be one of the only theatre veterans who’s never seen a performance of Irma Vep,” said Power, “In preparing to direct it, I read it countless times. I also watched all the old films Ludlam was inspired by, my favorites being Rebecca, The Mummy, and The Wolf Man.”

The play takes place in the home of Lord Edgar and Lady Enid (who is the Lord’s second wife). Lord Edgar has yet to fully recover from the passing of his first wife, Irma Vep and the house staff have many opinions about the Lord’s new wife. The entire plot is a satire of many film genres- Victorian, farce and Hitchcock. Making fun of a variety of genres and stories, Irma Vep calls for eight characters and around 35 costume changes. Ironically, the play only requires two actors to cover all the characters and changes. Oh and accents, as well.

“Dito Van Reigersberg and Luigi Sottile seem born to play this style which demands total commitment to the characters and their outsize fantasies,” said Power of the two actors chosen to perform the entire play.

Power boasts of their singing voices and physical range- from ballroom dancing to turning into a werewolf onstage. She and the actors have marveled at Ludlam’s ability to gain inspiration from old movies and still be able create an entirely original storyline.

“I can’t imagine better actors for this play. They both are incredibly supple, fit, fearless, and are extraordinarily spontaneous,” said Power. “They are acute listeners with delicious senses of humor.  Very early in the process they were able to differentiate each character through distinct, hilarious, and sometimes very moving physical and vocal choices.”

Van Reigersberg loves to be in character. Sixteen years ago he co-founded the Pig Iron Theatre Company as a way for himself and other Swarthmore College alumni friends to continue working together. With the Company they traveled to the Edinburgh Fringe festival and now continues to create original performances in Philadelphia.

“So far I love all the characters I get to play, but perhaps the sexy Egyptian mummy Pev Amri is my favorite,” he said about Irma Vep’s cast of characters. “She's such a flirt, and she gets to do a big number.”

If his performance of Pev Amri impresses you, be sure to venture downtown and see Van Reigersberg and his Pig Iron colleagues at L’Etage in the Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret. He plays Martha. Van Reigersberg will also be involved in a melodrama project lead by himself and inspired by Irma Vep and all old black and white movies.

Surprisingly, he has never done a performance of Irma Vep before.

“I did do an informal reading of it with two of my cohorts in Pig Iron,” said Van Reigersberg, “and saw how funny and insane and stylish and even moving it was.  Then coincidentally that very month Harriet asked me to play one of the roles at Act II.”

This is his first performance at Act II but “you can't help but feel right at home,” he said.

Just like his co-star, this is Luigi Sottile’s first performance at Act II. He performs at a variety of Philadelphia theatres. Up next is a performance of Cyrano at The Arden Theatre and Angels in America at the Wilma. This is his first performance of Irma Vep, as well. He plays the title role.

“It's hard to say which character I like playing the most because I've become so close to all of them. I think when you take on a character and learn their motivations, you justify their actions and basically stick up for them,“ said Sottile, “So I have to cop out and say that I love playing all four of them.”

Sottile has always been a fan of the show.

“I actually never expected to be a part of a production of it because it hardly comes around,” said Sottile, “I don't think I would have been called in to audition for it if I didn't personally ask.”

Sottile wanted to be a part of Irma Vep since he created a costume plot project for the play as a freshman at the University of the Arts.  

“I've always been fascinated with this play simply because of the incredible challenge that comes with it,” he said. “I was also interested in finding the truth of the play and letting the story speak for itself rather than slather it full of comic bits, even though we can't resist at moments and end up putting some in there anyway.”

For even more comic bits, Act II is holding a special Halloween performance. Power promises it will be extra festive.

“Anyone who comes in costume will compete for a best-costume prize – and the actors will serve as the judges,“ she said. “We are happy to offer this Monday evening performance because it’s often the only free evening in a professional actor’s week. Dito and Luigi have many fans who can only see the show that night.”

It looks like there is no time for a pause on stage or off for these guys. They’re thrilled to do it, though. Another special performance will be the final dress rehearsal, open to the public on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. Suggested donation is $10. All contributions will go toward a relief fund for local Ambler residents and businesses affected by recent flooding and storms. Like the serious undertone of this dress rehearsal, the play itself also has such a feeling to it.

Writer Charles Ludlam once said about the Mystery of Irma Vep- "Our slant was actually to take things very seriously, especially focusing on those things held in low esteem by society and revaluing them, giving them new meaning, new worth, by changing their context."

Power agrees.

“It has helped guide our work,” she said of Ludlam’s quote. “The actors and I have talked a lot about the serious underpinning of Irma Vep – the fact that, for all its giddy goofiness, Ludlam shows us that first impressions aren’t always accurate; that the underdog and the downtrodden are as complex and worthy of love as those society esteems as beautiful or valued. I see this play less as a satire than a celebration of what theatre can do, which is to take viewers on a wild ride full of laughter, amazement, and surprise.”