A casket full of fun and farce
It’s always a treat to see a show at the Brockley Jack. The first thing to be noted with this production of Charles Ludlam’s The Mystery of Irma Vep is the well-designed set by Karl Swinyard, which gives a flavour of the story to come. In this case it is a Victorian living room in Mandercrest a gothic manor house with moody lighting, French doors looking out into the dark foggy beyond, and a fire burning in the hearth, writes Linda Emmanuel.
We first meet Jane Twisden, the uptight and superior housekeeper, who ‘floats’ in with her nose in the air, busying herself with cleaning, when Nicodemus Underwood, the rough stable-hand with a clomping wooden leg, enters loudly through the French doors, making her jump. He presents her with a basket of turtle eggs, which it is hoped Lady Enid will take a liking to.
James Keningale and Joe Newton play all roles – A perfect comical duo, setting the scene for what’s to come further along in the play, full of double entendres and theatrical winks to the delight of the audience. It felt like characters from the League of Gentlemen left Royston Vasey for a stay at Mandercrest.
After a swift costume change from housekeeper Jane, Newton switches into Lord Edgar Hillcrest, an overbearing man who keeps a candle burning on the mantle that serves as an altar to his dead wife Irma, ‘who liked her meat bloody’ as explained by housekeeper Jane.
From clomping Nicodemus, Keningale introduces us to new wife Lady Enid, not quite like the naïve young new wife of Maxim de Winter in ‘Rebecca’, but more like Meghan Markle from the comedy series ‘The Windsors’. She persuades Lord Edgar to blow out the candle on the shrine to Irma and from that moment on we are taken deeper into the madcap journey, referencing all the ‘B’ movies we know, from hammer horrors to werewolves to vampires to Egyptian mummies and the like.
There were points in the show where I almost wanted to call out “Don’t open that!” but I held back. There were knowing giggles and a couple of shrieks from audience members indicating the enjoyment being shared.
This production is a casket full of fun and farce. The use of doors and the comedy timing are handled excellently by Kate Bannister’s direction. The quick change of characters is so slick and precise, and enabled by costumes designed by Martin J Robinson. The brilliant sound cues and visual magic meant that not a moment was wasted in the narrative. The whole production shows what a great team can achieve when bringing laughter to our lives.
On at the Brockley Jack Theatre until 4Th January 2026
Booking and full details: https://brockleyjack.co.uk/jackstudio-entry/the-mystery-of-irma-vep-a-penny-dreadful-2/
