Entering the Dudley Riggs Theatre for opening night of Brave New Workshop's latest satirical revue, Hypocralypse Now, I had to wonder what humor there is to be found in the current news cycle. The brilliant cast under the direction of Caleb McEwen is presenting a series of songs and sketches that do indeed find dark humor and insightful satire while highlighting the hypocrisy of the current state of American democracy.

The upbeat opening number injects the production with high energy as the cast dances and plays maracas to a song about hypocrisy destroying democracy. What follows is one of the evening's strongest sketches, a press conference with Doug Neithercott as Karoline Leavitt, wearing a gigantic cross necklace. Leavitt is scornful and disgusted by the questions of each news organization, with the exception of the NewsMax reporter played by Denzel Belin. Leavitt mouths the words when NewsMax asks their clearly approved question, and gives the reporter a dog treat for good measure.

Other memorable sketches that hit close to home include Neithercott again as the inebriated Schoolhouse Rock version of Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, Isabella Dunsieth as a rich modern day young "trad wife" concerned whether using the eggs from her own chickens to feed her 12 children is considered abortion, and Lauren Anderson as a game show contestant from Blaine who has difficulty choosing between healthcare for all and genocide. I regularly attend productions at the Brave New Workshop, and all of the performers are strong writers and performers, but it is nice to see Taj Ruler back for the first time since the holiday production. Ruler lends her delightful and unique weirdness to horny puppet Epstein files and a vampire camping outside Hispanic Dunseith's apartment waiting to be invited in, N-ICE-feratu.

As with most sketch comedy, some skits are stronger than others, particularly in the second act where Trump's farting press conference goes on too long and does not seem to have as much to say as some of the other more biting satirical sketches. While this production did not leave me feeling any better about the state of American democracy or the Middle East, it was nice to laugh and appreciate the ability of the writer-performers of the Brave New Workshop to recognize the blatant hypocrisy of our political system and use it to skillfully create an evening of comedy.

Brave New Workshop's Hypocralypse Now runs through November 8th, 2025, at the Dudley Riggs Theatre, 824 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-339-7007 or visit hennepinarts.org.