Charles Ludlam’s The Mystery of Irma Vep to be Revived Off-Broadway, Starring Arnie Burton and Robert Sella

Charles Ludlam’s The Mystery of Irma Vep is to have a 30th anniversary revival starring Arnie Burton and Robert Sella. Directed by Everett Quinton, the show will run April 10 through May 11 at the Lucille Lortel Theater. Opening night is set for April 17.

With two actors playing multiple roles, The Mystery of Irma Vep careens through Shakespeare, Victorian melodrama, Poe and Hitchcock. After his first wife, Irma, meets her unfortunate demise on the mysterious moors, Egyptologist Lord Edgar takes Lady Enid as his second wife, much to the dismay of his protective maid, Jane, and his leering swineherd, Nicodemus.  But when Lady Enid suffers a similarly supernatural attack, life at Mandacrest Estate quickly becomes a gripping whodunit (or whatdunit) where nothing is as it seems.

Burton is currently appearing on Broadway in Machinal.  His other Main Stem credits include The 39 Steps, Peter and the Starcatcher, A Free Man of Color and Amadeus.  His screen credits include Blue Bloods, Frasier, Law & Order, White Collar, The Invention of Lying and Private Lives of Pippa Lee. Sella's Broadway credits include My Fair Lady, Cabaret, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Sideman.

The Mystery of Irma Vep will have scenic design by John Arnone, costume design by Ramona Ponce, lighting design by Peter West, and sound design by Brandon Wolcott.