The Mystery of Irma Vep: Crisply directed by David Arisco, its costumes magically engineered by the sensational Mary Lynne Izzo, and gleefully performed by the comically gifted John Felix and Tom Wahl, The Mystery of Irma Vep is a delirious descent into madness that sticks to the ribs and never lets go. The comedy outrageously lampoons Victorian thrillers of the late Nineteenth Century, even as it pilfers liberally from film classics like Wuthering Heights, The Mummy's Curse, and Rebecca. With its ricochet repartee, the delightfully bawdy romp also makes mincemeat of Shakespeare, Wilde, Ibsen, Poe, and a Dickens-size cast of characters. Written in 1984 by the late Charles Ludlum, who founded New York City's Ridiculous Theatrical Company, the campy farce features veteran locals Tom Wahl and John Felix in top-flight form, portraying all of the play's eight characters. With more than 40 costume changes in about 90 minutes, the actors zip from character to character with a hairpin precision that defies description. Watching Wahl exit through one door as Enid and then return within seconds as Nicodemus left me dazed, in stitches, and wondering how the actor keeps track of which head he had screwed on between scenes. It's a gut-tickling quick-change riot rife with werewolves, vampires, an airhead in distress, and a whack-job mummy merchant who nearly steals the show. — Carlos Suarez De Jesus Presented through September 3 by Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; 305-444-9293, www.actorsplayhouse.org.
