Lunacy presented by Jackalope Theatre at Broadway Armory

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...But once Callan shows up as a blackmailed Kubrick (who hopes his patriotic fakery will help his communist brother), and once Swanson's carefully charted plot reaches its tenser moments, the show kicks into a higher satirical gear. In the large cast, there are some other carefully observed performances, including Robert Koon's Ted and Kaiser Ahmed as the dweeby Derek. It takes a while for Scot West to bore into the youthful model of Rumsfeld, but he gets there most amusingly in the end as Rumsfeld, to the delight of the audience, starts wondering what else he may be able to make Americans believe in the future."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...The world-premiere script needs lots of work (sloppy contrivances, a weak through line) and director Gus Menary works too hard at wackiness. Still, the cast deliver some solid moments-and not just the comic kind. Relationships among the studio crew members can be downright sweet. Malcolm Callan is great if not always well used as Stanley Kubrick. (Yes, Kubrick was in on it too.)"

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...But with so many competing subplots and characters-Kubrick's officious studio managers and weirdo stagehands, a couple of extraneous NASA types, Kiley's idealistic quasi-protagonist-there are almost too many threads. Director Gus Menary does a nice job of keeping everyone mostly on the same page, but this fake moon's a wee bit too full."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended

"...From Umberto Eco and Dan Brown to Pusha T and Queen Bey, conspiracies and secret knowledge seem to have special appeal to artists. Perhaps it's because of the myth making potential latent in art or maybe it's because they are all Illuminati. I can't say for sure. Lunacy doesn't really speculate on why some people insist on imagining alternative versions of history or consider the healing properties and potential for closure that such theories offer. But in taking up the subject of conspiracy, it does expose the dramatic potential of untold stories, which places it in good company."

The Fourth Walsh - Somewhat Recommended

"...Director Gus Menary paces this with high energy buffoonery. His cast works hard for laughs. And opening night, they are rewarded with hearty chortling. Although I was definitely amused by the cleverness of the play’s concept, my chuckling was initially sporadic and then occasional. LUNACY starts feeling like an SNL skit that goes on too long. Jokes repeat. Shticks dull. By the time the impressive J.P. Pierson (Tresscott) appears with a fresh new set of problems, I’m already over the moon…landing."