Marcus Lamb- Actor/ Reviews

'Circle of Friends' by Maeve Binchy, adapted by Elaine Murphy (Gaiety Theatre, April - May 2022).

'Special mention has to go to Marcus Lamb as the creepy Sean - his very arrival on stage evoked groans of disgust from the audience. There is no higher praise.'
- Linda Maher, The Irish Daily Mail

'There are particular stand out performances from Marcus Lamb as the sleazy Sean Walsh...'
-Emer O'Kelly, The Sunday Independent

'Marcus Lamb [is] hilarious as the unctuous, pinched-faced baddie Sean Walsh.'
-Fiona Charleton, The Sunday Times

'Marcus Lamb's depiction of the sleazy would-be suitor also offers an antagonist that the audience just loves to hate.'
-Conor Caplan, The Irish Times

'Drama at Inish,' by Lennox Robinson (Abbey Theatre, November 2019 - January 2020).

'From Marcus Lamb's fumbling Peter Hurley, a local TD with a hat affliction, to Aoibheann McGinnity's long suffering spinster sister, Lizzie, comedy and chemistry are superb throughout.'
- Chris O' Rourke, The Arts Review, November 2019

'Top-drawer turns from Helen Norton, Marion O'Dwyer and Marcus Lamb.'
- The Sunday Business Post, January 2020

'The Signalman,' by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage by Jane McCarthy (World Premiere, New Theatre, Dublin, December 2018).

'The production is an absolute corker with meticulously true acting from both actors and cracking direction from Mathew Ralli.'
- Emer O' Kelly, The Sunday Independent, December 2018

'Marcus Lamb and Daniel Reardon combine beautifully to provide contrasting reactions to a menacing situation.'
- Michael Moffat, The Mail On Sunday, December 2018

'Marcus Lamb plays The Gentleman to the utmost of Victorian standards; mostly restrained with just a hint of curiosity to his thinking. The perfect awkwardness between [the two men] adds both charm and humour.'
- David Keane, davidkeane.net, December 2018

'Lamb has the perfect awkward gangliness of the unwanted interloper. Their clear, orotund delivery brings extra gravity to the gloomy atmosphere.'
- Sara Keating, The Sunday Business Post, December 2018

'The Harvest,' by Jane McCarthy (World Premiere, New Theatre, Dublin, 2018).

'A truly outstanding performance from Marcus Lamb - ramrod straight and always threatening to explode, he sets the psychological temperature soaring with every slight raise of his eyebrows.'
- Andrew Lynch, The Sunday Business Post, June 2018

'All hail The Harvest! It's a corker with nuanced, layered performances from the cast and an almost mesmeric level of subtlety from Marcus Lamb as Malcolm.'
- Emer O' Kelly, Sunday Independent, June 2018

'Malcolm is all bristling anger and bullying charmlessness - he carries tension with him at all times. Lamb is powerful as the boorish husband.'
- Katy Hayes, Irish Independent, June 2018

'Marcus Lamb is glorious in the role.'
- Alan Foran, The Red Curtain Review, June 2018

'Lamb is utterly compelling every moment he is on stage.'
- Chris O' Rourke, The Arts Review, March 2019

'Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme.' (Headlong Theatre Company, UK).

'It is devastating in its impact. There are no poor performances among the eight, with Marcus Lamb as the lay preacher Christopher Roulston and Paul Kennedy as the despairing shipyard worker Nat McIlwaine, haunted by the memory of the Titanic disaster, particularly impressive.'
- Emer O' Kelly, Sunday Independent, August 2016

'Director Jeremy Herrin and his brilliant cast give powerful expression to the exquisitely crafted script. An exceptional revival. A deeply affecting production.' *****
- Mark Brown, The Telegraph, May 2016

'A rich, beautiful and compelling production brought to life here by a superb cast.' ****
- Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman, May 2016

'Unmissable.' *****
- R G Balgray, The Reviews Hub, May 2016

'A faultless production.' *****
- Peter Grant, The Wirral Globe, June 2016

'Waiting For Godot.' (Gare St Lazare, New York).

'Marcus Lamb’s Lucky, permanently stooped from carrying his constant burden—not just Pozzo’s literal possessions (which he can put down) but, metaphorically, also Pozzo and his whole world (which he can’t)—seems more animal than human. The work was stunning.'
- Rick Wasser (rickwasserblogspot.com), October 2015

'Lamb delivers Lucky's monologue with some pacing, that leads the listener down the road to Connemara, to 'the skull the skull the skull the skull...the abode of stones' and the audience is left amazed.'
- Michael Coffey, Journal of Beckett Studies, September 2016.

Samuel Beckett's 'The End.'

'Lamb's expertly-timed performance, his passionate presentation and attention to detail (along with that of the director and lighting designer) are extraordinary throughout. His exquisite, often humorous interpretation of what is, occasionally, a rather difficult script keeps us glued. It's funny, it's complicated and it's just a little bit heart-breaking.'
- Chris Wasser, The Herald.ie, January 2015

'Engaging an audience on your own for an hour is a big ask of any actor but Marcus manages it admirably. He plays with the language like a musician plays with notes. With a stage that is bare except for a bench and a bowler hat he has little to work with but his own physicality and he completely immerses himself in the role - a remarkable job.'
   - Frances Winston, No More Workhorse, January 2015

'This striking piece is delivered with charm by Lamb.'
   - The Red Curtain Review, January 2015

'Lamb engages the audience from the start, treading carefully through the dialogue and language structure to deliver something that remains faithful to the Beckettian style, while still appearing to be natural and organic.The coupling of darkness and comedy here is balanced perfectly.'
   - The Public Reviews, January, 2015

The End

Samuel Beckett's 'A Piece of Monologue.'

'Performed here by Marcus Lamb who, on the evidence, has a fruitful future ahead of him as a Beckett interpreter. And I do not write that lightly.'
        - Emer O' Kelly, The Sunday Independent, April 2011

'The actor delivers the quick unrelenting script faultlessly. The part requires no movement but Lamb uses his face to full effect. His eyes bore into the audience, while his mouth widens and stretches with the pain of speech.'
        - Eithne Shortall, The Sunday Times, April 2011

'We are treated to an exquisite performance by Marcus Lamb. Lamb delivers the deconstructed life story of his character with the kind of commitment and focus one would be hard pushed to find in the more high-profile theatres.'
        - Lauren O' Toole, Entertainment.ie

'Marcus Lamb in 'A Piece of Monologue' finds a way to move us.'
        - Sara Keating, The Sunday Business Post, April 2011

A Piece of Monologue

'Heartbreak House,' (Abbey Theatre, Dublin).

Roisin McBrinn directs the first ever Abbey production of the play, and it scintillates
...it moves into entrancing gear with serious intent just below the surface, and gloriously idiotic characterisations swooping exuberantly along.
The cast play faultlessly.
- Emer O' Kelly, The Sunday Independent, August, 2014

'DruidSynge,' (Druid Theatre Company, Galway, Dublin, New York).

'Marcus Lamb uses his height to emphasise the wonderfully comic effect of Philly O' Cullen, one of the drunken barflies in 'The Playboy of the Western World' and to heighten the arrogance of the saint in 'The Well of the Saints,' who cures people against their will.'
- Brian Lavery, The Irish Independent, August 2005

'To put it simply, DruidSynge is one of the greatest achievements in the history of Irish theatre.'
- Fintan O' Toole, The Irish Times, July 2005

'My impression was one of awe at this 44 strong Druid company who stage six different shows in a day with miraculous fluency.'
- Michael Billington, The Guardian, July 2005

The Playboy of the Western World

Samuel Beckett's 'That Time.'

'After a phenomenal turn in Mouth On Fire's production 'Silence and Darkness in 2011, Marcus Lamb's performance in the following piece of the evening 'That Time' doesn't disappoint. His facial expressions are frightening and hilarious in turn as his inner monologue of a life lived races through his consciousness.'
- Lauren O' Toole, Entertainment.ie, March 2013

'Waiting for Godot' (AC Productions, Singapore, Hong Kong).

'Lamb, in his monologues, built up tension so effectively that the silence when he paused during speeches was perfect enough to hear a pin drop.The play developed into an outstanding and sensitive portrayal of two men. There was a superb balance between comedy and emotional sensitivity.'
- All the World's a Stage (online), Hong Kong, October 2012

'The two leads (played by Marcus Lamb and Patrick O' Donnell) charmed the audience with the familiar bickering of two old friends.They convincingly portrayed a co-dependent pair whose loyalty and patience was heartbreaking to watch. Lamb was excellent as Didi, particularly in his sobering monologue at the end, which sucker-punched the audience with its intense dose of existentialism.'
- Nabilah Said, The Straits Times, Singapore, October 2012

'The Glass Menagerie' (Galway Town Hall Theatre and National Tour).

'The taught two-hander of the second act between the gentleman caller (Marcus Lamb) and the frail Laura Wingfield (Ionia Ní Chróinín) is a tense and captivating show-down between the two prospective lovers. Fragments of damaged psyche emerge, are gently played with, discussed and dismissed with disarming charm.It is a twenty-minute scene of finely-wrought suspense well worth waiting for.'
- Matthew Harrison, Irish Theatre Magazine, February 2011