Valley Center Stage opens its 2017-18 season with Charles Ludlam’s play, “The Mystery of Irma Vep – a Penny Dreadful.”

Irma Vep is a fast paced comedy and over the top horror story, set in the sinister estate of an aristocrat and his new wife. All who reside at the manor find themselves bedeviled by a werewolf, a ghost, a vampire and an unsolved murder.

This play borrows from a smorgasbord of works such as Wuthering Heights, the Hitchcock film, Rebecca, Shakespeare, Victorian penny dreadfuls and the entire selection of American vampire, mummy and werewolf movies. For good reason, Irma Vep has the distinction of being Ludlam’s most popular work, inspiring hundreds of productions around the world.

“The Mystery of Irma Vep – A Penny Dreadful” is directed by Valley Center Stage’s Artistic Director, Jim Snyder.

The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13 and runs, Thursday through Saturday, from Oct. 13 to 28. One Sunday matinee is at 2 p.m. Oct. 22. All shows are performed at Valley Center Stage, 119 W. North Bend Way, North Bend. Doors open 30 minutes before show time.

For tickets and information, visit www.valleycenterstage.org.