Sean Graney Directs THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP At The Court Theater, 11/12-12/13

Court Theatre continues its 55th season with Charles Ludlam's The Mystery of Irma Vep directed by Sean Graney. The production will run November 12 - December 13, 2009 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue. The press opening is Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.

Erik Hellman and Chris Sullivan take on innumerable dramatis personae in Ludlum's high-camp quick-change act. The Mystery of Irma Vep satirizes all that is ridiculous in Gothic horror, Victorian melodrama, classic film, and conventional theater--and it's also a contender for the funniest American play of the last quarter-century.

"I am so pleased to return to Court Theatre to helm The Mystery of Irma Vep," says director Sean Graney. "Ludlam's absurdist penny dreadful is the best kind of theatrical challenge - not only does it demand that two actors play eight roles, taking on hysterically rapid-fire character and costume changes, but it creates a carefully and brilliantly revalued world for both actors and audience alike."

The Mystery of Irma Vep features Erik Hellman as Jane, Lord Edgar and Irma Vep; and Chris Sullivan as Nicodemus, Lady Enid and Alcazar.

The designers are John Culbert (scenic design), Joshua Horvath and Ray Nardelli (sound design), Marc Stubblefield (lighting design), and Jacqueline Firkins (costume design). Ellen Hay is the production stage manager and Jonathan Nook is the assistant stage manager. Anastasia Barron is the Dramaturg.

Charles Ludlam (Playwright, April 12, 1943 - May 28, 1987) was a multi-talented, off-the-wall and out-of-the-closet actor, playwright, director, and producer whose Ridiculous Theatrical Company helped define the avant-garde Off-Off-Broadway movement. He was born in Floral Park, New York, and educated at Hofstra University. He first acted professionally in New York in 1967 with The Playhouse of the Ridiculous, where some of his early plays were performed. Later that year he founded his own troupe and was busy for the next twenty years, the company going from obscurity to campy cult interest to citywide admiration. Ludlam and his longtime companion Everett Quinton usually played the leading roles (male or female) in his outrageous spoofs, although as time went by he employed less camp and more of a highly theatrical style. His Marguerite Gautier in Camille (1974) was perhaps the role most identified with Ludlam, and his play The Mystery of Irma Vep (1984) is his most revived in theatres across the country.
Sean Graney (Director) is the Artistic Director and Founder of The Hypocrites, where he has directed most of their productions. He directed What The Butler Saw at Court Theatre in fall 2007. He was born and raised in Boston, where he received his BFA in Theatre and Writing from Emerson College. His work has won Joseph Jefferson Citations and After Dark Awards. Graney was a recipient of the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors and was called Chicago's Best Avant-Garde Director by Chicago Magazine in 2004. He has worked with Chicago Children's Theatre, Collaboraction, Redmoon, Court and Steppenwolf.

Erik Hellman (Jane, Lord Edgar, Irma Vep) was last seen at Court Theatre as Valentine in Arcadia. His credits includes The Elephant Man and Huck Finn (Steppenwolf), The Busy World is Hushed (Next Theatre), Feast (Chicago Dramatists), Tartuffe (Remy Bumppo), Hatfield and McCoy (The House Theatre of Chicago), New Orleans (The Side Project) and Macbeth (The Mirror Rep: off-Broadway, NY). Erik is a member of Strawdog Theatre Company where he has appeared in Three Sisters, Impossible Marriage (Jeff Nomination: Best Supporting Actor) and Puntila and His Man Matti. Erik is a Denver native and a graduate of Northwestern University.

Chris Sullivan (Nicodemus, Lady Enid, Alcazar) is making his first appearance at Court Theatre. He received his BA in Theater Arts from Loyola Marymount University. Chicago Credits: The Hairy Ape and The Ballad of Emmett Till (Goodman Theatre) Twelfth Night and Edward II (Chicago Shakespeare), Don't Dress For Dinner (The Royal George Theatre), Dangerous Beauty (American Musical Theatre Project), Defending the Caveman (The Lakeshore Theater and National Tour 2002-2005).

Previews are November 12- 20, 2009. The opening press performance is on Saturday, November 21, 2009, at 8:00 p.m. Curtain times are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. with Saturday matinees at 3 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Ticket prices are $32 to $40 for preview performances; $38 to $56 for regular run performances. Tickets are available at the Box Office, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or online at www.CourtTheatre.org. Student and senior discounts available. Groups of 10 or more may purchase tickets by calling Milan Pejnovich at (773) 834-3243.