Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...I'd venture die-hard Poe fans will find much of interest (maybe annoyance) in this most distinctive and intellectually rich take. Still, Graney's big failing is that he doesn't manage to invest the viewer in the creepy narrative itself, on that all-important, moment-by-moment basis. It's a simple matter of paying more attention to the acting; this terrific adaptation is quite brilliantly conceived. But without truth and a trip we each can take, all the high style in the world can't fully deliver any house of horrors."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...What chiefly distinguishes this 65-minute romp from its prototypes, however, is not just that its personae, male and female, are played by women, but that their duties exceed simple quick-changes within a specified list of roles to include switching identities with one another. This means that any character may be played, at any point in the story, by any of three different actors, the costumes and wigs serving as our only indication of the personnel occupying the scene under scrutiny. To be sure, our trio of thespians varies considerably in physique and vocal range, but so swiftly does the dramatic action progress that we are allowed no opportunity for expository reflection."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"... I never thought I would describe an adaption of an Edgar Allen Poe horror story this way, but The Hypocrites’ production of “The Fall of the House of Usher” is undeniably, perhaps regrettably, cute. Director Sean Graney integrated humor well in last season’s “Romeo and Juliet”, leaving enough tragedy to render unease at the end, but in “Usher,” the comedy takes over. During the closing (terror-filled?) scene I didn’t know whether to shudder or laugh."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Performed with stylized soap-operatics and punctuated with comically timed thunderclaps, the show calls to mind Carol Burnett’s campy movie parodies. All the roles are played by three women, who rapidly alternate among the four parts (everybody takes a turn playing each character). This could be intended to suggest Usher’s fractured psyche or, more likely, it could be an excuse for Graney to revive the quick-change routine he devised for his staging of The Mystery of Irma Vep for Court Theatre in 2009. Here, it’s only in the last two minutes—a breathtaking synthesis of violence, ritual and precipitation—that Graney matches Poe’s intensity and terror."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...With remarkable production values, especially Joey Wade’s set, Rick Sim’s sound, and Jared Moore’s lighting, Usher has the potential to join the classic ranks of Young Frankenstein (the movie, not the atrocious musical). It falls short of that high-shot, but still winds up being a whole helluva lot of fun."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...Adapter and director Sean Graney exploits Edgar Allen Poe’s dramatic short story for melodramatic humor. Words like *terror* and *suspense* are overemphasized for a laugh. Graney poe-lverizes this classic into clever pulp fiction. The thriller-like premise becomes a farcical mystery under Graney’s tutelage. To heighten the lampoon aspect even more, Graney utilizes three actors rotating roles throughout the show. Usher goes out the door. Usher comes back in the door and it’s a different actor. Multiple versions of the same wigs (Designer Mieka Vanderploeg) and exquisite costumes (Designer Alison Siple) make the shift in casting continually engaging. I’m not always sure who is playing which role. I use the distinct voice and presence of an always hilarious Halena Kays as my directory to uncover the mystery. Kays, along with Tien Doman and Christine Stulik, energetically attack each role and wardrobe change with makeover mastery. The synchronized anonymity is both funny and unsettling."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...This is a very short adaptation, roughly 70 minutes with no intermission. The time flies very quickly as the story unfolds and we see what it is that Usher needs and wants. His female visitor also has needs, but in a different way as in the original, the visitor is a male. In fact, in the original, the story is very male orientated, but Graney doesn’t use convention in his adaptations. If he did, it wouldn’t be Graney and certainly would not be what we expect from The Hypocrites."
Huffington Post - Recommended
"... The Fall of the House of Usher,a compact, macabre one act adapted from the Edgar Allan Poe short story by director Sean Graney and produced by The Hypocrites, is all delicious style and atmosphere. Every element has been designed to create a delirious world of over-the-top 19th century Gothic melodrama."
