Jim Lehrer and the Theater and Its Double and Jim Lehrer's Double Reviews
Chicago Reader- Somewhat Recommended
"...Even at 70 minutes, Jim Lehrer and has its longueurs as Maher-who's scrupulous, like Lehrer-works out the implications of his conceit. It's also heady with allusion. But the opening passages are hilarious and the closing ones terrifying, thanks in large part to Colm O'Reilly and Brian Shaw, two extraordinary actors who have a long history of working with Maher. Maher himself is as good a playwright as any working in America today. He does small, smart, and edgy, though, so who knows if he'll get the acknowledgment he deserves. Then again, we may need him in the near future, to identify those thump-thump beats we keep hearing."
Time Out Chicago- Recommended
"...At 75 minutes, the play feels a good 20 minutes too long; this feels like a case where Theater Oobleck's famously director-free aesthetic could have used some outside guidance. But there's still plenty of stimulating material to chew on here, with an endearing mix of intellectual and goofy. O'Reilly's deadpan mastery of the real Lehrer's no-nonsense news voice is nearly worth the whole endeavor."
NewCity Chicago- Recommended
"...Like “The Strangerer,” one of Maher’s concerns here is the nature of theatrical artifice and its relation to reality. Without the war in Iraq as a worthy target, “Jim Lehrer” can sometimes get too insular and esoteric. It isn’t until its final moments that the play turns its gaze back outward toward the nation’s present political calamity and reminds us that even our darkest reflections cast shadows—ones that are even darker still."