Miss Julie Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Not Recommended

"...Sean Graney is among Chicago's most talented, creative and, best of all, audacious young directors. Much of his recent work for his company, The Hypocrites, has exploded and thus greatly illuminated several iconic period dramas. The Hypocrites' version of August Strindberg's "Miss Julie" is just not one of those shows. This one fights the play."

Daily Herald - Recommended

"...The actors nicely shaded performances hint at something simmering below the surface. When it erupts -- as in the dramatic scene midway through the play where Graney strips his characters and leaves them mired in the wreckage of their lives -- it results in one of the most satisfying moments in the production."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Like most audiences at promenade productions, the one shepherded through the Hypocrites' deconstruction of August Strindberg's one-act turned into a self-conscious clump, blocking one another's sight lines and yearning for invisibility. But imagining close-up spectators may have encouraged director Sean Graney to push his actors toward the understated, multilayered performances that give caustic immediacy to much of this potentially melodramatic showdown between a neurotic aristocrat and her opportunistic servant."

Chicago Free Press - Recommended

"...While many of Graney’s colorful nuances make artistic sense, a post-coital scene between Julie and Juan, featuring an exploding wall of props including roller blades and walkie talkies, seems to represent nothing but bizarreness for its own sake. Still, Graney’s work here is nothing but provocative, providing audiences with a thrilling and totally alive theatrical experience. Inventive art can justify even the most common existence and the Hypocrites’ “Miss Julie” ultimately provides that fulfillment in spades."

Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...The Hypocrites have succeeded so often through lack of competition, which is a bummer both for us and for them. If there were more theater this subversive in Chicago, the company would have both peers and rivals; each fosters quality in a different way. In the meantime, we have a weird quandary: a Miss Julie that should be seen by as many people as possible, playing in a tiny room that could hardly accommodate everyone who would appreciate it; produced at a moment when the play is relevant again but in a style that has little to do with the world around it."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...Graney’s innovative stage and the terrific work from Samantha Gleisten (Kristin), Gregory Hardigan (Jean) and Stacy Stoltz (Miss Julie), make the 90 minutes a thrilling and unpredictable evening of adventure. Graney breathes new life in Strindberg’s classic as he experiments with presentation styles. His Miss Julie would make Strindberg smile."