Two men, eight roles in this gothic spoof

Neil Casey (left) and John Kuntz in ''The Mystery of Irma Vep.'' (Lyric stage company of boston)

John Kuntz and Neil Casey are two men on a frenzied mission: to conquer "The Mystery of Irma Vep," a show requiring a massive number of prop changes, sound cues, and lightning-quick costume changes.

It is the breakneck pace of the two-man, eight-character production, which kicks off at the Lyric Stage tonight, that could keep audiences glued to their seats.

"We walk off stage as one character and we walk back on head to foot in a completely different outfit in a matter of seconds," says Kuntz. "Anything can go wrong. Props break in your hand, lights don't go on, one of us might be a few seconds late, the likeliness of something happening in this show is higher, so you have to brace yourself and go with the flow."

"Irma Vep" is a gothic spoof loosely based on "Wuthering Heights," "The Mummy's Curse," and Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca." In the show, a werewolf, an Egyptian princess, and a vampire (note: Irma Vep is an anagram of vampire) haunt Mandacrest Estate, the home of Lord Edgar and Lady Enid. Lady Enid is Lord Edgar's second wife, and she is plagued by the fact that he has yet to recover entirely from the mysterious passing of his first wife, Irma. Meanwhile the maid and a caretaker have their own creepy opinions of Lady Enid.

Wearing lavish costumes, Kuntz plays Lord Edgar and the maid, Jane Twisden. Casey is Lady Enid and Nicodemus, the caretaker, among others.

"We never stop, neither of us," says Casey. "You really have to be on top of your game. It's difficult. I'm exhausted. But it's great fun."

Backstage is even more frenzied and maddening, says Casey, as three stagehands help with costumes while the characters continue to speak off stage.

"I've always been dying to do this show," he adds. "It's quite a challenge."

"The Mystery of Irma Vep"' runs through Dec. 21. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com

'Rock' on

The Huntington Theatre Company has extended the run of Tom Stoppard's "Rock 'n' Roll" through Dec. 13. Information: 617-266-0800, www.hunting tontheatre.org.

Megan Tench can be reached at mtench@globe.com