The Hypocrites theater company today announced a greatly expanded slate of productions for the troupe's upcoming season, including the previously announced late-summer remount of Sean Graney's epic All Our Tragic (June 20–August 9) and the fall production of the Green Day rock show American Idiot (August 28–October 25), to be staged by Steven Wilson.
They'll be joined in spring 2016 by another major musical production, with the first new Chicago staging of Adding Machine: A Musical (March 18–May 15) since its premiere at the now-defunct Next Theatre Company in 2007. The musical adaptation of Elmer Rice's expressionist classic, by Joshua Schmidt and Jason Loewith, was staged at Next by David Cromer, who the following year would direct an enduring revival of Our Town for the Hypocrites. The new production of Adding Machine will be helmed by Geoff Button.
The Hypocrites are also making the unusual move of adopting a pair of recent hits for remounts. They'll be the new home for the new holiday classic Burning Bluebeard, which began its life with the Neo-Futurists in 2011, and has twice returned under the banner of The Ruffians at Theater Wit. Bluebeard, penned by Jay Torrence and directed by Hypocrites company member Halena Kays, is expected to bring most of its original cast to the Hypocrites.
Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.'s Hans Fleischmann will also remount his much talked-about reimagining of Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie as part of the Hypocrites season. First staged at Mary-Arrchie's Angel Island in 2012 before playing a long transfer at Theater Wit, Menagerie will return with original cast members Fleischmann as Tom, Joanne Dubach as Laura and Hypocrites company member Walter Briggs as the Gentleman Caller, with Hypocrites company member Donna McGough joining as Amanda—a role McGough played in the Hypocrites' previous production of the show, directed by Graney in 2005.
Additionally, the Hypocrites will partner with Senn Arts Magnet High School for a new production of Graney's The 4th Graders Present an Unnamed Love-Suicide this fall, to be co-directed by Joel Ewing (Senn's lead theater teacher as well as an accomplished actor) and Hypocrites company member Mechelle Moe. An additional spring production to be directed by Graney remains to be announced.
In addition to the season announcement, the Hypocrites also revealed major casting for American Idiot, to include Luke Linsteadt as Johnny, Jay Cullen as Will, Alex Madda as Heather, Becca Brown as Extraordinary Girl, Drew Tildon as Whatsername, Steven Perkins as Favorite Son and Malic White as St. Jimmy with Isa Arciniegas, Elisa Carlson, Dakota Hughes, Michael Kurowski, Aubrey McGrath, Janelle Villas and Alexander Zukoff. All seven productions of the Hypocrites' 2015–16 season will be presented at the Den Theatre.