Viva La Hypocrites Revolucion!

The Pirates of Penzance is not exactly my cup of tea. The Hypocrites have mounted their version of the show at The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., in Chicago, IL. The old adage is, "You can lead a horse to water, but..." I was lead to this particular pond because of the presence of seasoned, sketch comedy artist, Becky Poole being in the cast. She alone is always worth the price of admission. Ms. Poole acted, sang, and played the accordion and musical saw in addition to flexing her ever ready comedic muscles. Her entertainment arsenal never ceases to amaze me.

However; I not only drank in The Hypocrites' original, lively presentation of Pirates but sat, walked and moved around the beautiful world Sean Graney and his talented cohorts have created. In what I can only describe as a theatrical breath of fresh sea air, Graney's staging and directing were a wonder to experience. Many of the actors also sang and played musical instruments. The toy xylophone was a nice touch. They ran around half clothed which added to the youthful, exuberant, fun, hypocrisy of it all. Some might say this was a bit of a sacreligious interpretation of Pirates, while others might think that this is exactly what theater needs to stay alive and thrive right about now.

Step right up, folks! Check out the kind of show you're gonna be shelling out $80 a seat for in NYC in the future... www.the-hypocrites.com/