Press
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Read the feature in TimeOut Chicago on our Gilbert & Sullivan Rep here
"zany, family friend and hugely enjoyable" CBS On Stage
"In both of the Hypocrites' cheeky adaptations of Gilbert and Sullivan, performed in repertory, audience members roam the theater along with the actor-musicians. The updated scripts by director Sean Graney are goofy and family-friendly; kids will be totally engaged." ABC 7
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Currently running:
"Chicago Gem" Pirates of Penzance (now to Jan. 13th)
"supremely joyous...★★★½" Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
"the show was amazing and I am dying to get back and see it again" Curios
"Pirates of Penzance is an 80 minute non-stop beach party, raging with riotous laughter, catchy music, and cheap booze." Podunk Critic
"every so often a production comes around that spins the form off its axis. It injects some vivacious energy into the stale scene and gives new hope that experimentation, good experimentation, still has a place on the stage. The Hypocrites have done just this with their uniquely stylized, fast-paced rendition of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic The Pirates of Penzance." Chicago Theater Beat
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Pirates first began in 2010. Here are the 2010 press highlights:
"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED... a giddy, ever-buoyant, freshly reinvented revival"
- Chicago Sun-Times
"FOUR STARS ... With beach balls and sunglasses, this Pirates is a welcome blast of summer"
- Time Out Chicago
"of all Graney’s many non-traditional creations in this town over the last few years, this is certainly among my favorites."
- Chicago Tribune
"the charm, energy, integrity and youth … is so contagious and so dramatically convincing ... a contemporary approximation of how G & S might have been experienced in their own time."
- New City Stage
"People that like pirates, hula dances, singing, and fast-singing hilariousness would like this play."
- Ada Gray Reviews For You
FEATURE ARTICLES ABOUT PIRATES:
"When it works, which it often does, Graney's approach provides a new avenue into a play's core meaning."
- Time Out Chicago
- Time Out Chicago
"Anyone familiar with the work of this creative theater company and artistic director Sean Graney knows they never do things the expected way."
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Chicago Sun-Times
"The Hypocrites apply their winning formula of hip deconstruction and dark comedy to the cherished operetta Pirates of Penzance"
Pirates of Penzance is running in rep with
The Mikado
(out of four stars)
"glorious...outrageously enjoyable"
"The Mikado possesses all the crazy charm, humor and energy of its predecessor, The Pirates of Penzance, which run in rotating rep. This zany re-imagining of the classic will thrill Sean Graney fans and those new to G&S, and will delight even the most hardcore aficionados. Who else but The Hypocrites could pull off G&S with guitars and sneakers?" Mara Tapp, Chicago Magazine
"joyously daft...bright and evocative" Kris Vire, TimeOut Chicago
"Sean Graney and Kevin O'Donnell made it much shorter and they also made the songs more funny. It was funny to begin with, but they made it even more funny, which is the best of all things you can do with a play." Ada Grey, Age 8
"Awesomely wonderful, with tropical drinks...Thanks to you guys for bringing so much delight to us all." Peter Sagal (via Twitter), host of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me
Chris Piatt highly recommends The Mikado and Pirates of Penzance on WBEZ's Afternoon Shift. Skip to minute 22 to hear just the reviews.
"2 outstandingly funny, raucous & super friendly playful shows. Wowz!" Brett Neveu (via Twitter), Playwright
"The Mikado, an intoxicating, exhilarating, unexpected production that is sure to be on my list of the ten best productions of the year (yep, it's that good)." Francis Sadac, From the Ledge
Romeo Juliet
"fun and inventive... ★★★ (out of 4 stars)" Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
"reliably irreverent... ★★★★" Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago
"boldly unique 80 minutes" Chicago Theater Beat
"sheer hilarity...tragically beautiful" Chicago Now
"demented and astute" New City
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6 Characters in Search of an Author
"The quirky, lovable aesthetic of The Hypocrites is going to be in safe hands with new artistic director Halena Kays, based on her quirky and rather lovable new production" Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
"★★★★" Time Out Chicago
"intensely vivid, frequently chilling..HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" Chicago Sun-Times
"funny and sad, lighthearted and tragic, complete and unfinished. But mostly it's just damn clever!" Chicago Now
"director Halena Kays plays much of this 90-minute show, appropriately and effectively, for laughs. But Kays and adapter Steve Moulds also recognize the ability of even made-up moments to be devastating. Their production for the Hypocrites allows those moments to resonate powerfully" Chicago Reader
"hilarious" Chicago Theater Review
"Here, in Chicago, where the theatre has bestially gnawed at realism's connective tissue for decades, reside The Hypocrites, who, in their own way, ask that same question with every production they put up. How can artists realistically tell a story? With Six Characters in Search of an Author, new Artistic Director Halena Kays is asking that question once more; redefining the real, embracing the obscure, and rebelling against the tired norm" PoDunk Critic
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"Chicago Gem" Pirates of Penzance
"supremely joyous...★★★½" Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
"the show was amazing and I am dying to get back and see it again" Curios
"Pirates of Penzance is an 80 minute non-stop beach party, raging with riotous laughter, catchy music, and cheap booze." Podunk Critic
"every so often a production comes around that spins the form off its axis. It injects some vivacious energy into the stale scene and gives new hope that experimentation, good experimentation, still has a place on the stage. The Hypocrites have done just this with their uniquely stylized, fast-paced rendition of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic The Pirates of Penzance." Chicago Theater Beat
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"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED... a giddy, ever-buoyant, freshly reinvented revival"
- Chicago Sun-Times
"FOUR STARS ... With beach balls and sunglasses, this Pirates is a welcome blast of summer"
- Time Out Chicago
"of all Graney’s many non-traditional creations in this town over the last few years, this is certainly among my favorites."
- Chicago Tribune
"the charm, energy, integrity and youth … is so contagious and so dramatically convincing ... a contemporary approximation of how G & S might have been experienced in their own time."
- New City Stage
"People that like pirates, hula dances, singing, and fast-singing hilariousness would like this play."
- Ada Gray Reviews For You
FEATURE ARTICLES ABOUT PIRATES:
"When it works, which it often does, Graney's approach provides a new avenue into a play's core meaning."
- Time Out Chicago
- Time Out Chicago
"Anyone familiar with the work of this creative theater company and artistic director Sean Graney knows they never do things the expected way."
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Chicago Sun-Times
"The Hypocrites apply their winning formula of hip deconstruction and dark comedy to the cherished operetta Pirates of Penzance"
- Flavorpill
- Flavorpill
SOPHOCLES: SEVEN SICKNESSES
"★★★½ ... one heck of an achievement."
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
"Hypocrites' magnificent 'Seven' a triumph...fascinating and original...highly recommended"
Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times
"The evening is done right is so many ways. The human experience is recognized; to attend this production is to participate in one of the most effective community-building activities ever invented by culture. You will be fed. You can mingle with the actors, who make no attempt to sequester themselves from the audience. You sit on sofa-like benches, are encouraged to stretch out, get comfortable, even move about if you cannot see and would like to switch your seat"
John Dalton, Centerstage
"The extraordinary acting in Sean Graney's production comes in triplicate (Erin Barlow, Tien Doman and Lindsey Gavel)...It's hard to say which of these women is the best; they all power through the texts with such relentless force and vocal power that you find yourself sitting bolt upright whenever they show up." Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
"★★★★...remarkably effective riff on Sophocles"
Kris Vire, Time-Out Chicago
WOYZECK
"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED... real yet stylized staging that is not only a thrilling take on Buchner's classic, but an example of Graney working at the top of his powers."
"FOUR STARS... A bracing, inspiring performance... A feverish comedy."
"Graney and his crack ensemble tease out the play's humor, pathos and terror...the production design is similarly bold."
"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED... This play is rich, its social commentary compelling, its presentation fulfilling... refreshing, bold and daring, and will leave you gloriously shocked as only something that presents dark truths so immediately can."
"Graney possesses an ability to unearth the hearts of classic texts and translate them to contemporary audiences by employing an arsenal of visceral elements."
"Epic and deliciously avant-garde...quite obviously the work of Sean Graney, and is quite possibly his best/darkest/weirdest production to date."
The press loves K!
"brainy, vivid, playfully faithful"
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
"smart, funny, and provocative"
Chicago Reader
Chicago Reader
"great triumph...funny, insightful, and sharp"
Centerstage
Centerstage
K. was Highly Recommended by the Chicago Sun-Times, named Critic's Choice by the Chicago Reader & WBEZ Eight Forty-Eight Dueling Critic Jonathan Abarbanel made it his Critic's Pick. (Listen here)
No Exit
"the fiery energy and dedication of the cast and team...made that theatre so sweltering"
Chicago Theater Blog
Chicago Theater Blog
"Graney must have sold his soul to the devil to get this trip to hell to be a blaze of glory."
Chicago Now
"provocative in its unpredictability"
Chicago Reader
Chicago Reader
"director Graney handles this often-lugubrious material with a light and thoroughly irreverent touch"
Time Out Chicago
Time Out Chicago
"a very entertaining 90 minutes"
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
Cabaret
"FOUR STARS...makes a strong case for the worth of directorial revision."
Time Out Chicago
Time Out Chicago
"The indelible score remains the No. 1 reason to see this show."
Chicago Tribune
"this “Cabaret” is one of the best dramatic approaches to a musical that I’ve seen"
New City Stage
"an inventive approach"
The Chicago Reader
