Share
Wednesday, April 2,2008
Postmodern Collage
Theater Preview
CharlesLudlam’s
The Mystery of Irma Vep: A Penny Dreadful has been a huge success since
its debut in 1984. It’s a lightningquick comedy featuring intellectual
absurdity, cross-dressing, quick changes and an entire cast played by
two characters.
Simultaneously highbrow and lowbrow, the play is a campy, postmodern collage that has proven to be remarkably durable over the past two decades. Beginning April 3, Next Act Theatre launches a production of Ludlam’s idiosyncratic masterpiece starring John McGivern and Christopher Tarjan, and directed by Next Act Producing Artistic Director David Cecsarini.
Speaking with Cecsarini, McGivern and Tarjan before a rehearsal, one gets the impression that the show is in good hands. We sat down to talk at Next Act’s rehearsal space amid strange props, including a sarcophagus, on a floor that was marked-off with enough tape to mummify a good-sized adult. The three men at the center of this production have developed sophisticated senses of communication and humor, which is vital for the bewilderingly sophisticated Vep. Within the script, they have found a patchwork of lines cannibalized from numerous other plays, yet that dialogue is spoken by characters attempting to be serious in a supremely absurd plot. The comedy’s serious base weaves itself into a production that is very campy.
True to the spirit of the script, Next Act’s production will focus on the serious aspects of the characters and let the comedy work its way in. At rehearsal, they were still working out the technical specifics of the production’s costume changes and precise timing. Tarjan and McGivern are proven commodities in the world of comedic acting, but they said that they would be doing little more than standing onstage “pointing at their asses” were it not for the substantial talent of Cecsarini, a man cunning enough to keep things organized in this challenging play.
Next Act’s production of The Mystery of Irma Vep runs April 3 through May 25 at the Off-Broadway Theatre.
Simultaneously highbrow and lowbrow, the play is a campy, postmodern collage that has proven to be remarkably durable over the past two decades. Beginning April 3, Next Act Theatre launches a production of Ludlam’s idiosyncratic masterpiece starring John McGivern and Christopher Tarjan, and directed by Next Act Producing Artistic Director David Cecsarini.
Speaking with Cecsarini, McGivern and Tarjan before a rehearsal, one gets the impression that the show is in good hands. We sat down to talk at Next Act’s rehearsal space amid strange props, including a sarcophagus, on a floor that was marked-off with enough tape to mummify a good-sized adult. The three men at the center of this production have developed sophisticated senses of communication and humor, which is vital for the bewilderingly sophisticated Vep. Within the script, they have found a patchwork of lines cannibalized from numerous other plays, yet that dialogue is spoken by characters attempting to be serious in a supremely absurd plot. The comedy’s serious base weaves itself into a production that is very campy.
True to the spirit of the script, Next Act’s production will focus on the serious aspects of the characters and let the comedy work its way in. At rehearsal, they were still working out the technical specifics of the production’s costume changes and precise timing. Tarjan and McGivern are proven commodities in the world of comedic acting, but they said that they would be doing little more than standing onstage “pointing at their asses” were it not for the substantial talent of Cecsarini, a man cunning enough to keep things organized in this challenging play.
Next Act’s production of The Mystery of Irma Vep runs April 3 through May 25 at the Off-Broadway Theatre.
Also in Theater:
..Search Shepherd Express
- Tue
6 - Wed
7 - Thu
8 - Fri
9 - Sat
10 - Sun
11 - Mon
12
Search in Events
2009-01-07 7 pm
Entertainment
Wednesday, January 7-
Duet Series One, Part One: Provence and Southern French Wines with Jeff Eastman
To kick off the New Year and the introduction of our new Duet tasting series we will be viewing the romantic comedy, A Good Year taking place in Provence, France (movie description below). For part one of this session Jeff Eastman of LŽeft Bank Wine Company will be at Grapes and Grain to speak about and pour a variety of wines from Prove
Location: North Milwaukee
In 1964, the time of Doubt, no one spoke of pedophile priests, even if the Roman Catholic Church was already riddled with them. Directed by John Patrick Shanley from his own play, one of the most provocative recent productions on a Broadway that has surre
As if guided by evil voices, Hitler rose remarkably from nobody artist to master of Europe, aided by timing and abetted by luck. He survived, unscathed, several plots to kill him. Valkyrie dramatizes the one that nearly hit bull's-eye, a conspiracy by Ger
Although the wacky, anonymous, eyeball-mask-wearing members of The Residents make a point of labeling it a collection of "pop songs," The Bunny Boy isn't simply a pop album. It's also a cryptic Internet series that "inspired" the album, a live performance
Steve Grimm's place in Milwaukee music history remains secure for having fronted one of the city's most prominent bands to make it to a major label. It's been a while since Bad Boy was a happening entity, but Grimm remains vital-if inextricably linked to
General Billy Mitchell was predicting the future of aerial warfare when a restaurant opened near the airfield that would bear his name. Under different names and...
Express Milwaukee Blog Network
Conglomerate: What?s Wrong with Shareholder Exit?
Yesterday, I summarized my claim that courts should use the presence or absence of minority voice as an important guide to the adjudication of claims of minority shareholder oppression. My proposal runs counter to what seems to be the prevailing academic view, which is that we should simply make [...]
Free Classifieds
Free Coupons
..Search Shepherd Express
