Chris Sullivan as Lady Enid and Erik Hellman as Jane in The Mystery of Irma Vep. Photo: Michael Brosilow.

At one point in Charles Ludlam’s play The Mystery of Irma Vep, which is currently running at the Court Theatre, it is remarked that a man in a dress can’t be all that bad. While this has a different meaning and a bit of irony since it is said by a male actor in a dress and a wig at that moment in the show, one can agree that, no, a man in a dress isn’t all that bad, judging from Sean Graney’s thoroughly delightful production of Ludlam’s play.

Chris Sullivan and Erik Hellman play the eight roles in the production nimbly and with an exquisite skill that makes their performances realistic in a play that satirizes Victorian melodrama and classic mystery and horror films. Sullivan and Hellman manage to change costumes with lightning speed and keeping each of the characters distinct, even when they might have to do the voices for two characters portrayed by them at the same time.

Yes, , the play is campy, but that is intentional with Ludlam’s script and Graney’s production and they manage to do camp and cross-dressing so well that it seems natural in the world of this play; a world where a shot gun can be fired towards the ceiling and a black puppy dog with a red ribbon falls to the stage. Many aspects of the show are over-the-top, but the play still makes the secrets that Lord Edgar (Hellman) is hiding from his new wife, Lady Enid (Sullivan) as they are terrorized by monsters and, in the case of Lady Enid, the maid, Jane (Hellman), very interesting. Ludlam’s script is also seasoned with wordplay, references to Shakespeare, and double entendres, making it a very clever play that manages to stoop to vulgar humor while managing to still use it in a clever way.

Jack Magaw’s scenic design adds to the humorous, suspenseful tone of the show with a Gothic chandelier hanging above the stage with candles in it and the uneven, disconnected, almost cartoonish walls that are made to look like they’re covered with purple striped wallpaper. Alison Siple’s detailed costumes are period appropriate, while managing to be easy enough for the actors to get in and out of them quickly. The production also has sight gags ranging from the use a fabric to the final scene of the play, which adds some more spoofing. Ludlam’s script along with Graney’s direction and Sullivan and Hellman’s performances create a deliciously amusing night of theater that manages to be compelling and outrageously funny.

“The Mystery of Irma Vep” continues through December 13 at the Court Theatre. Tickets are available by calling (773)753-4472 or visiting http://www.CourtTheatre.org.

The Hypocrites’ production of “Frankenstein,” which opened Saturday at the Museum of Contemporary Art Stage under the direction of Sean Graney, is a mash-up of not only Graney’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel with the 1931 film, but also a clash of time periods, causing one to not be sure of when it takes place. The play is rife with anachronisms: Elizabeth (Stacy Stoltz) wears Victorian clothing, while her betrothed, Victor Frankenstein (John Byrnes), wears jeans and a T-shirt. A large antiqued cellphone is used at one point, while another character carries an Edison Talking Doll, which sings “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in German. The world in which “Frankenstein” occurs is that of Graney’s own creation; a world where human flesh is more palatable than Cheese Whiz. And this world is one that the audience is thrust into due to the fact that it is staged promenade style, placing the audience onstage with the actors.

But this world, albeit terrifying, has flaws, which causes this production to not be as effective as it could be. While the film is projected onto a screen that hangs above a wall, I found myself paying attention to the film during the brief periods where the audio is on, which is not a very long time. The video is never really incorporated into this production to make it truly work as a part of the play. What is occurring onstage is too engrossing to allow for the audience to look at what is occurring on the screen.

This production also features two original songs by Graney and Kevin O’Donnell. The first song is sung by Frankenstein’s bride, a resurrected prostitute (Jessie Fisher) who must be plugged in in order to be alive. While this song is certainly interesting to the Daemon (Matt Kahler), it slows down the show as it seems to be placed there for no real reason. Yes, the song conveys that she is confused and realizes what she is, but the audience could have gathered that from what occurs earlier. The second song, which is a lament that the Daemon sings, is much more fitting because of the situation in which the song is being sung.

However, this production features good acting from the four actors, notably Stoltz as the frequently jilted bride and Kahler as the grotesque creature. Kahler’s portrayal gives us a creature that is brutal and vicious, but at the core, struggling to be accepted by the world in which he was created. Stoltz, on the other hand, gives us a woman who cares deeply for the man she is engaged to, but is also not revolted by the sight of the Daemon, which could have been the result of her state of mind when she meets the creature.

The use of the MCA stage is also very interesting as benches have been placed onstage for the audience to sit or stand on. There is also a see-saw on stage, along with a bed that is on a bit of an angle, making the awakening of the Daemon a bit more dramatic as the audience can see his body moving a bit better than if the bed was not raised at all. Hanging from the ceiling are bloodied and disembodied dolls and covering the back wall of the theater are pages from Shelly’s text.

While this production is engaging and fascinating, it is only terrifying at some points. While early on in the show I was a bit terrified to be in a darkened theater due to what had already occurred in the show, even by the end when horrific things occur to Victor, the gruesomeness and terror of the show had worn off. While “Frankenstein” is well-acted and interesting, it never gets underneath the skin.

“Frankenstein” continues through November 1. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and Sunday performances, 3 p.m. on Sunday, and 10 p.m. on the 30 and 31. Tickets are $20-25 and can be purchased by calling 312-397-4010 or visiting mcachicago.org

Hooray for Captain Spaulding!

Or maybe that should be hooray for director Henry Wishcamper and the talented cast of nine actors in George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind, Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby’s 1928 musical “Animal Crackers,” which opened tonight at the Goodman Theatre. The original musical starred the Marx Brothers, but the 1930 film based off of the musical is possibly more familiar to many audience members.

This production takes the audience in to the slapstick world of the 1920s, before the election of Herbert Hoover and the stock market crash. The production also has Joey Slotnick, Jonathan Brody, the magnificent Molly Brennan and Ed Kross looking exactly like the Marx Brothers who played the roles of Captain Spaulding, Emanuel Ravelli, The Professor and Horatio Jamison. But it doesn’t have the allusion that one is watching four people try to act like the Marx Brothers, at least it didn’t for me.

The production, which has a lavish set designed by Robin Vest that depicts the interior of a Long Island estate belonging to Mrs. Rittenhouse (Ora Jones). The six member orchestra sits directly in the center of the stage, but you never really notice them until the actors interact with them. In fact, many of the aspects of this production work well. The double casting of some of the roles works well with the actors making the characters unique and donning different outfits and wigs, easily fooling an audience members. The breaking of the fourth wall with some of Slotnick’s lines doesn’t come off as heavy handed, nor do anachronistic remarks about being at Petterino’s in ten minutes. In fact, “Animal Crackers” is a hilarious, roll-’em-in-the-aisle comedy that is truly funny and features such antics that the two-and-a-half hours you spend inside the Goodman’s Albert Theatre fly by.

The benefit of this show is that Kaufman and Ryskind wrote a book that is hilarious without being stupid. Not once is there the feeling of “Hurry up and get to the numbers,” nor is there the feeling of “Hurry up and get back to the dialogue” during Kalmar and Ruby’s numbers, which are usually serving a purpose for the characters to express romantic feelings.

But that’s only if you enjoy slapstick comedy. Those that do not enjoy slapstick will probably find “Animal Crackers” to be repetitive, vulgar and tedious. And even to those of us that do enjoy slapstick, the show is not without flaws. The final scene, a result of The Professor’s gassing antics, seems completely unnecessary except to untangle the mystery of who stole the missing painting that is at the heart of the plot. The unfortunate thing is that is slows down the show immensely, but the fortunate thing is that it’s right at the end of the show.

The entire company does a magnificent job in this production, but primarily Brennan, who relies solely on physical humor for the role of The Professor, Brody and Slotnick, who ensure that the show never has a dull moment with their delivery of misunderstood phrases and double entendres while Jones as the rich Mrs. Rittenhouse.

But what works so well about “Animal Crackers” is that it never feels as though you are watching the actors imitate the classic film. It just sweeps you away like you’re slipping on a banana peel.

“Animal Crackers” continues at the Goodman’s Albert Theatre until October 25. For more info, visit goodmantheatre.org