The Last Duck presented by Jackalope Theatre Presents at The Viaduct

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...It's not hard to see "The Last Duck" as the expression of a suddenly successful young writer-actor's worries. The setup here is that we have a writer named Royall (ah-ha, could this be half of Neff?) and a Chicago actor named Gerry (could this be his other half?). There is a mostly absurdly scenario that gets the two of them in a lonely room wherein Royall can menace Gerry, a potential tenant who is unable to leave. It involves a house near a dredged lake and a taxi company that apparently is very selective in where it picks people up. I didn't believe a moment of it. Fortuitously, that doesn't torpedo the evening. Not at all."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"... The premise sounds formulaic and tired: stranded in a remote cabin, a writer and an actor pass a booze-fueled night picking each other's sores. But structural ingenuity, intellectual rigor, and linguistic adroitness give Lucas Neff's dazzling new play a bracing immediacy. Neff infuses his seemingly rudderless dialogue with visceral unease (something is very wrong in this cabin) and profound moral indeterminacy."

Centerstage - Highly Recommended

"...Two men, one cabin and an inadvisable amount of whisky. “Raising Hope” co-star Lucas Neff uses very basic elements in constructing his play, “The Last Duck”, but he uses them to thrilling effect. Belonging to the grand tradition of wordy, sitting room pot-boilers pioneered by Harold Pinter and Edward Albee, there isn’t a lot in the play that feels new or surprising, but the elements that are there (circuitous head games, freighted philosophical back-and-forths, the aforementioned whiskey) still combine to make an thoroughly entertaining night of theatre."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"... Marti Lyons helms a well-appointed and smartly paced production—or productions. Neff stipulates that the two actors alternate roles nightly; Lyons and her talented cast make the dual iterations seem quite distinct, with Andrew Burden Swanson and Pat Whalen clearly distinguishing their characterizations. Though both casts are compelling, the teaming of Swanson’s coolly sociopathic, Patrick Bateman–esque Royall and Whalen’s affable, regular-joe Gerry is slightly more successful."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"... Jackalope Theater Company is on the move once again, this time around packing their cannons with a remarkable world premiere that challenges the human psyche and those who unknowingly cross paths with the unstable. The young artistic minds behind Jackalope Theater are proving to be quite a valuable asset to the Chicago theater community with their brave risk taking and colorful talent. Jackalope is nothing new in this critic’s eyes, as I have reviewed their work before, but they continue to keep audiences guessing with their wide array of theatrical experiences. And Lucas Neff’s world premiere production through the mind of Jackalope is a confident piece that brushes hands with the thrill of excitement, making it a spring season must see."