Here is a small sampling of what the critics are saying about Hugh. Click the links for the full reviews.

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Village Voice – The acting, by all three principals as well as Adam James in a series of small roles, is first-class, with Dancy, subtly differentiating his two roles, casting the most intense magnetic field.

San Francisco Chronicle – Dancy is equally fine, particularly as the buttoned-up Philip of 1958, an anguished individual who even considers aversion therapy to “cure” himself from an attraction to men.

New Jersey Newsroom – Dancy naturally depicts a tightly-repressed gentleman of then and a well-adjusted fellow of today.

The Faster Times – Hugh Dancy has to my mind the more difficult role of the conflicted Philip, and if some may see the coldness that frames his intensity as the actor’s discomfort in such an explicit role, I see it as a choice to show the damage (self)inflicted on a man in denial.

Backstage – Dancy’s mightily repressed 1958 English alpha male, whose inherent masculinity is undermined by his desires, confidently embraces that same masculinity as part of his modern-day gay identity.

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It’s bad luck to say good luck on opening night, so to the cast of The Pride, break a leg! And to viewers of this site, enjoy the pictures that have come from the production. Be on the look-out over the next few days for pictures and media coming from the opening night party.

• 11 x The Pride: Stage Photos

(Broadway.com) Hugh Dancy’s characters all have one thing in common: They’re as handsome as Hugh Dancy. Outside of that, there are few similarities among the roles that comprise the Brit’s impressive resume. Since breaking out in 2001’s Black Hawk Down, the 34-year-old has jumped nimbly from mainstream to indie film projects, playing everything from a dashing fairytale prince in Ella Enchanted to an antihero with Asperger’s Syndrome in Adam to an unrequited lover in the starry Evening (where he met his bride, Claire Danes). Dancy punctuated this diverse bio with a critically acclaimed Broadway debut in 2007’s Tony-winning revival of the World War I drama Journey’s End. For his current return to the stage in MCC’s provocative love-triangle drama The Pride, Dancy has again shed his skin, this time taking on two difficult characters, both named of Philip (one a closeted 1950s husband and the other jilted, modern-day boyfriend in a dysfunctional gay relationship). In a recent conversation with Broadway.com, Dancy spoke about his pride in The Pride, what frustrates him about his complex new role and how he keeps that resume interesting.

You’ve said you agreed to appear off-Broadway because The Pride was such a good script. What made it stand out?
The structure is brilliant. On the page, not yet taking into account how well it works on stage, you immediately notice this is bold and provocative writing. But for me, the most remarkable thing was the dialogue. In every scene we find both an exchange of ideas and the characters fighting for their lives, but the dialogue remains natural, convincing and, at the same time, incredibly eloquent.

The Pride is a fairly dark show. Was that part of the appeal for you?
I think there are elements of darkness in the play, but I personally don’t find it to be a “dark” show. There are certainly unsettling moments, but there’s a tempered optimism too. I think it leaves you with hope—it just does it without boldly stating, “Hey, everything’s fine and aren’t we all so great?” What appealed to me was that balance between dark and light.

“Unsettling” is the right word. As a fellow actor actor, has it been hard for your wife [Claire Danes] to watch you go to such uncomfortable places nightly?
As far as my wife goes, I think she’s pretty brave to ever watch me on stage. If you’ll forgive me though, I do think there’s a sort of unspoken question in there, [one that] lies in this show dealing with gay themes. Without giving too much away, there is one scene in the first act that is really unsettling, but to me whether it’s homosexual or not is irrelevant. What I’ll say is: I’ve been asked a lot about playing a “gay” character, but not once has someone asked how I feel about playing the sort of character that might brutalize another character! I find that frustrating and amusing in equal measure.

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(Playbill) After a one-day delay, MCC Theater launches the American premiere of Alexi Kaye Campbell’s The Pride, starting Off-Broadway previews Jan. 28 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

Previously scheduled to start Jan. 27, the MCC canceled its first preview “due to wardrobe issues.” Costumes for the work, which is set in 1958 and the present, were not ready.

Joe Mantello (Glengarry Glen Ross, Take Me Out) directs the production that is still slated to open Feb. 16 for a run through March 10.

Hugh Dancy (Journey’s End, “Adam”) stars with Adam James (“Last Chance Harvey”), Andrea Risenborough (Ivanov – Donmar Warehouse) and Ben Whishaw (“Bright Star,” “Brideshead Revisited”).

“Oliver, Philip and Sylvia are caught in a kind of erotic time warp,” according to MCC. “Their complex love triangle, replete with conflicting loyalties and passions, jumps from 1958 to the present and back in a maelstrom of fantasy, repression and rebellion in this innovative new drama.” The play premiered in London at the Royal Court in 2008.

The Off-Broadway run of The Pride features the design team of David Zinn (scenic), Mattie Ullrich (costume), Paul Gallo (lighting) and Jill DuBoff (sound).

Tickets to The Pride at the Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street) are available by calling (212) 279-4200. For more information, visit mcctheater.org.