Line #10 Theatre/TheMysteryOfIrmaVep

Context Theatre / TheMysteryOfIrmaVep

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1	A two-act Penny Dreadful by Charles Ludlam in the style of his "Theatre of the Absurd", ''The Mystery Of Irma Vep'' is a satire of several theatrical and film genres, including Victorian melodrama, farce, and the 1940 Creator/AlfredHitchcock film ''Film/{{Rebecca\|1940}}''. Lady Enid has just married Lord Edgar Hillcrest and moved to his ancestral home on the moors, Mandacrest. Lord Edgar's first wife, Irma Vep, was killed by a werewolf attack, but he still keeps her portrait on the mantelpiece. The house is also populated by two servants, the one-legged handyman Nicodemus Underwood and Jane Twisden the maid who has her own interest in Lord Edgar. In the course of a flashback, the audience also meets Alcazar, an Egyptian guide, and Pev Amri, an ancient mummy. In total, there are eight characters, four male and four female. And [[ActingForTwo two actors]] of the same sex to portray all of them.
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4	!!This play provides examples of:
5	* BandageMummy: Pev Amri initially shows up as this until she's brought back to life by a mystic ritual.
6	* CreepyHousekeeper: Nicodemus and Jane each have their quirks.
7	* CrosscastRole: Contractually required, whether it's two male actor or two female actors.
8	* FauxlosophicNarration: Lady Enid delivers a beautiful example at the close of the show which ultimately says nothing, resolves nothing, but perfectly fits within the genre.
9	* LampshadeHanging: Multiple cases
10	** In one scene, Lady Enid indicates that she is so fond of Nicodemus that sometimes she feels like she is Nicodemus.
11	** Later in the same scene, Lady Enid requests that Nicodemus be brought into the room to which Jane responds that he can't come into the room for obvious reasons.
12	* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: [[spoiler:Nicodemus]] gets attacked by a creature on the moors and later has an onstage transformation into his wolf form. Details of the costume are not specified in the script, but are generally relatively simple to allow for a quick change.
13	* SayMyName: Lord Edgar and Lady Enid seem fond of this tropes including one scene where they hold a conversation of about 20 lines just saying each other's names in different inflections.
14	* SeductiveMummy: Princess Pev Amri seduces Edgar after her revival. [[spoiler:This is later revealed to be a trick by Enid (who is the same actor or actress who plays Pev Amri).]]
15	* SignificantAnagram: When Irma Vep reveals her true nature, she indicates this is exactly what her name is, of [[spoiler:"vampire"]].
16	* ShoutOut: At one point, Lady Enid excitedly delivers the line, "[[Film/{{Gaslight}} The lights are dimming!]]"
17	* WolfMan: [[spoiler:Nicodemus]] is attacked by a werewolf just off set and later transforms into one himself.

Context Theatre / TheMysteryOfIrmaVep