★★★★

“joyfully madcap, full of twists, improbable developments, romance, and ghosts”

Packed with dead wives, werewolves, mummies, bleeding portraits, and more gothic cliches than the Monster Mash, The Mystery of Irma Vep is a hilarious and enthralling farce, brought wonderfully to life by the multi-rolling duo of Joe Newton and James Keningale. This revival of Charles Ludlam’s 1984 satire is a hit for Jack Studio Theatre’s Christmas production.

Drawing from Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca, the play relates the story of Egyptologist Lord Edgar Hill Crest (Newton) and his second wife Lady Enid (Keningale), living amongst the moors in Mandacrest, Edgar’s ancestral home, they embark on their new married life, haunted by the memory of Edgar’s first wife Lady Irma, whose portrait hangs above the fire. The couple are isolated except for supercilious and jealous housekeeper Jane Twisden (also Newton) and manservant Nicodemus Underwood (also Keningale), whose lovelorn, half-ignored proclamations are a highlight. As is the dialogue generally, much of which references gothic precursors including Shakespeare’s ghosts and Edgar Alan Poe’s Raven. The play lives up to its subtitle, ‘A Penny Dreadful’. Without wanting to give too much away, the narrative is joyfully madcap, full of twists, improbable developments, romance, and ghosts, while never missing an opportunity for an intentionally groan-inducing bad joke: ‘it’s a terrible thing to marry an Egyptologist and find out he’s hung up on his mummy’.

The chemistry between the performers sparks as they play the parts of rivals, lovers, or co-workers, and the quick costume changes between characters, especially towards the play’s climax, elicit an uproarious response from the audience. The impossibility of certain characters sharing the stage is played both for laughs and dramatic tension, and the bond felt between Enid and Nicodemus (both Keningale), which can never be realised on stage, irreverently explores the mystery of human connection. Kate Bannister’s direction encourages the performers’ physical acting to flourish, weaving in the stylistic hallmarks of silent movies and gothic horror, from the exaggerated gestures of Lady Enid as she circles the stage, to the contorted skulking of monsters lifted straight from Nosferatu (1922), which is especially satisfying. Lady Enid’s insulted half-turn towards the audience with chin aloft, and Jane’s haughtiness and evasion of Nicodemus’ advances are also particularly enjoyable. The fight direction by Gabriele Lombardo is also strong, allowing character to shine through in the movement.

The set design by Karl Swinyard, assisted by Lizzie Spinks evokes the primness of a Victorian parlour, complete with chaise longue and dour portraiture. The projections that shift the action first to an Egypt then to a ship—yet another gothic motif—makes creative use of the tight space. The lighting design (Laurel Marks) is simple but effective, particularly the blue of streaming moonlight, and Julian Starr’s sound veers from the eerie to the macabre. Costume design (Martin J Robinson) combines both period dress and, out of necessity, quick changing, and is extremely successful in both, a standout is Lady Enid’s red dress, with which she attempts to enliven her relationship.

The Mystery of Irma Vep is a great option for a festive outing that blends the aesthetics of gothic horror with the camp sensibilities of pantomime and is catalysed by excellent performances and lively directing.

STOREHOUSE

Deptford Storehouse

★★★½

“a multifaceted and engaging experience”

In a Deptford warehouse that was once the paper store for London’s newspaper industry, Storehouse (created by Liana Patarkatsishvili) is an immersive theatre production that questions the role of the internet and the twenty-four-hour news cycle in shaping our reality and the changing relationship between facts, news, and opinion.

The journey begins outside with a glass of sparkling wine and a paper guide that explains the premise: in 1983, at the birth of the internet, a group of visionaries opened the Storehouse, intending to convert all human data into binary code and which could then be catalogued, with the intention of collating it all on the First of January 2025. This moment, termed the Great Aggregation, would lead to the discovery of a universal, liberatory truth. We enter after the failure of this project.

Sorted into rooms to begin the experience, we are tasked with helping the employees of Storehouse – who have not left since 1983 – resolve the issue and proceed with the Great Aggregation. Passing through the doors into the cavernous warehouse we enter a low, cool space punctuated with columns, and from there into a waiting room. From this point onwards the performance incorporates everything from oaths and discussions to fortune cookies and votes, creating a multifaceted and engaging experience.

The actors we encounter along the way are all excellent. Fully embracing the retro 1980s environment, they walk us through the Storehouse’s collection, assessment and shelving processes while sharing their backstories and professional grievances – and dancing to Karma Chameleon whenever it plays over the Tannoy. Special mention goes to the Zachary Pang who guided our group through the maze of the Storehouse with aplomb. They are supported by a stellar cast of voice actors, that appear in video or audio: Toby Jones, Meera Syal, Kathryn Hunter and Billy Howle.

The sprawling staging (production designer Alice Helps), littered with 80s technology, and overgrown with a mossy, fungal-like substance, transports the audience to a strange – but strangely familiar – world, even down to the level of smells which permeate the rooms, bringing us further into the experience. The clothes (Julie Belinda Landau) are also fantastic, all silk shirts, braces and big shoulder pads, conjuring a moment of time frozen from the recent past.

Without wanting to give too much away, as I think going in cold enhances the experience, the structure of the show reflects its content, with participants invited to interact with one another, before, during and after the performance. There are multiple moments for a complementary drink, and I can say that the non-alcoholic cocktails are amazing. Conversation between strangers is encouraged: ‘a friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face’, as we try together to understand our contemporary reality.

While I felt that the message was not groundbreaking, Storehouse was a very enjoyable and different experience and would be a gripping and provocative way to spend an evening with friends, or indeed to meet new people, re-focusing us on the importance of real-life, interpersonal connections, however fleeting. Ending on the deck of a free bar, looking across the Thames to Canary Wharf, I couldn’t help but think of the relationships between the centres of global economic power and the information ecosystems that help uphold them, Storehouse’s setting offering a final opportunity to consider its message.

THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP – A PENNY DREADFUL

Jack Studio Theatre

★★★★

“joyfully madcap, full of twists, improbable developments, romance, and ghosts”

THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP – A PENNY DREADFUL

Jack Studio Theatre

Reviewed on 11th December 2025

by Rob Tomlinson

Photography by Davor at The Ocular Creative

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE MYSTERY OF

THE MYSTERY OF

THE MYSTERY OF

STOREHOUSE

Deptford Storehouse

★★★½

“a multifaceted and engaging experience”

STOREHOUSE

Deptford Storehouse

Reviewed on 11th June 2025

by Rob Tomlinson

Photography by Helen Murray

Recently reviewed by Rob:

STOREHOUSE

STOREHOUSE

STOREHOUSE

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