“Lauren Marcus is a rock star...
...Take all the female rock stars you have known and loved and roll them up into one. Take, for instance, Linda Ronstadt’s soul, Tina Turner’s sexiness, Pat Benatar’s grit, Debbie Harry’s defiance, and all of The Go-Go’s playfulness, mix and bake at 350, then frost with a five-inch thick layer of The Icing of Originality, and you’ve got Lauren Marcus.”
“Her voice and style are unmistakable, her stage presence and emotions irrepressible, her talent and personality irresistible.”
Little Shop of Horrors
“...and Lauren Marcus, as the original Audrey — Seymour’s hard-luck love interest — shines, particularly during the ballad “Somewhere That’s Green,” the show’s high point.”
Photo: Michael Henninger
Photo: Michael Henninger
“If Philippe Arroyo as Seymour and Lauren Marcus as Audrey were any more adorable in the roles they would probably be radioactive. Both have a tremendously honed ability to play the off-beat comedy/farce style of Ashman’s script...and Arroyo and Marcus have voices of pure delight; Little Shop is really all about Seymour and Audrey and Kaminski guides these two perfect performers, with expert assistance from musical director John McDaniel.”
Photo: Michael Henninger
Photo: Michael Henninger
“As Audrey, Lauren Marcus knocks her signature number “Somewhere that’s Green” out of the park. Together, their moving “Suddenly Seymour” is staged high on the central catwalk, becoming the downtown equivalent of West Side Story’s “Tonight”. Arroyo and Marcus establish a sweet chemistry through performances that are reason enough to catch this show–especially if you have seen it before.”
“In context, a song such as “Somewhere That’s Green” — Audrey’s fervent wish for a milquetoast American life, beautifully conveyed by Marcus — can break hearts and induce smiles.”
Photo: Michael Henninger
“And then there's Audrey, lovely Audrey. Lauren Marcus, late of Broadway's Be More Chill, has the biggest and most iconic shoes to fill. Ellen Greene's genuinely bizarre but instantly legendary characterization of Audrey as part Edith Bunker, part Marilyn Monroe and part drag queen has been imitated, parodied and homaged for almost forty years now. Every actress portraying Audrey, and every director guiding her, must decide how much of THAT Audrey they need to give the audience. Marcus, thankfully, has erred on the side of differentiation. Gone are the helium voice, the squinchy little geisha-style walk, the Hedwig and the Angry Inch coiffure. Instead, Marcus gives us a more down-to-earth version of this eccentric character, swapping Greene's nasal lisp for a persistent bit of vocal fry and a less sing-song delivery. It works, and it's nice to hear songs like "Suddenly Seymour" fresh, free of the oft-imitated affectations that seem permanently tied to the material. (How good of a song is "Suddenly Seymour?" Good enough that I could hear people all over the auditorium not singing along, but breathing it in rhythm like they were trying not to burst into song on the final chorus.) Marcus finds moments of subtlety in a larger-than-life character, but not so many that the character loses her definition.” - BroadwayWorld
“Marcus brings a Betty Boop-esque quality to her portrayal of Audrey that gives the character a nice quality of daffy sweetness.”
“The powerhouse duo of Philippe Arroyo (Seymour) and Lauren Marcus (Audrey) delivered moving and evocative portrayals of the iconic characters...Marcus managed to incorporate the unique and memorable quality of Audrey’s voice, while still showcasing her incredible vocals. Her balance between the oddities in Audrey’s voice and a traditional singing style aided in understanding Audrey’s journey and made for standout solo moments.”
Be More Chill
“Lauren Marcus makes an old-fashioned star-turn as the ditzy Brooke Lohst, capably stealing scenes and offering a full-bodied, sensuous belt on songs like ‘Do You Wanna Ride?’”
Jason Tam, Will Roland, and Lauren Marcus - Photo by Maria Baranova
“...the excellent Lauren Marcus, in the show’s loosest performance...”
“...the cast is uniformly likable (standouts include Lauren Marcus as Brooke, Stephane Hsu as Christine)...
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“...a talented young cast with enough juice to ignite every light on Broadway.”
Katlyn Carlson and Lauren Marcus - Photo by Maria Baranova
““Be More Chill” is one of the strongest new musicals of the past decade...the cast is as close-knit an ensemble as you could hope for...See it now and relish its energetic portrayal of the horrors of high school.”
“Ms. Marcus sings the seductive ‘Do You Wanna Ride?’ with a suggestiveness that could push a boy through puberty.
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The Jonathan Larson Project
“Marcus also stops the show with ‘Hosing the Furniture,’ a furious riff on 1930s domesticity from a 1989 revue called Sitting on the Edge of the Future, where writers were asked to respond to the 1939 World’s Fair. The song won Larson the Stephen Sondheim Award, and after hearing the clever lyrics interpreted through Marcus’s blazing, full-bodied performance, it’s easy to see why.”
Andy Mientus, Krysta Rodriguez, Nick Blaemire, George Salazar, and Lauren Marcus
"Lauren Marcus is only moments away from being discovered as Broadway’s 'next-big-thing' (and it will likely happen when she takes to the stage in February’s Be More Chill). It would be a crime for 'The JLP' to be the last time audiences will see her take on 'Hosing the Furniture,' an astounding portrayal of a woman completing her domestic “duties,” while worrying about her appearance and the fact that her housework is a reflection of her soul. As Marcus grew increasingly angry, working tirelessly to keep a smile on her face, she impeccably lamented, 'Sometimes I wish this hose were a gun,' finally crooning, 'I’m free!' Marcus’ performance was filled with humor and range, and her amazing take on this piece dared audiences to ever look at a crumb the same way again." -TheaterPizzazz
Company
“As the reluctant bride Amy, Lauren Marcus brings the house down with her hilarious, sprawling and bawling ‘Getting Married Today.’ It is the comic highpoint of an amusing evening.”
“Has there ever been a more hilarious performance of ‘Getting Married Today’ than that delivered by Lauren Marcus, who’s in fine Gilbert and Sullivan-like fashion?”
“Even the safe harbor of marriage holds so many terrors for Bobby’s friend Amy (Lauren Marcus, fabulous) that she has an epic pre-wedding meltdown in the hilariously unhinged ‘Getting Married Today.’” – The Boston Globe
“Role for role, this is the best-sung ‘Company’ I’ve ever heard—not just in regional theater, but anywhere…everyone is a first-class vocalist.” – Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal
“Marcus’ Amy is wildly, wonderfully comedic.”
“Amy, played by Lauren Marcus, has the most difficult song to sing, its words that fly by being so very important to the storyline. She is a rare clown, one who can make us laugh and cry at the same time.” -Berkshire Bright Focus
“The comic highlight of the score, and the production, is Amy’s (Lauren Marcus) ‘Getting Married Today.’” –Berkshire On Stage
“Individual performances are all excellent, led by Lauren Marcus performing ‘Getting Married Today’, during which her character, Amy, is the personification of a bride having a meltdown on the morning of her wedding.” -Troy Record
The Humans
“Lauren Marcus and Fajer Kaisi are excellent as the young hostess and her swain...Ms. Marcus’ own reading of a half-hearted letter of recommendation is one of the many naturalistic highlights in her performance.”
"...with Dykstra’s father and Marcus’ Brigid being notable, he for his seeming strength and she for showing a character that isn’t as strong as she seems." -St. Louis Eats & Drinks
“Lauren Marcus conveys both the love and the fragility of Brigid, frustrated by her stalled life.” -Ladue News
Other Select Reviews
"Lauren Marcus is a devilish dynamo as the bad seed Mary, utterly convincing as a spoiled adolescent willing to destroy anyone in her way." -Backstage on THE CHILDREN'S HOUR at Astoria Performing Arts Center
"Capable of instant mood shifts, she (Lauren Marcus) is by turns charming, cajoling, needy, assertive, petulant, seductive." -The Lakeville Journal on THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG at Sharon Playhouse
“The surprise show-stopper of the night was supplied by Lauren Marcus, performing the Styne, Comden & Green Two On The Aisle classic, ‘If,’ with a lunatic comic vivacity that zinged every rhyme and built to a maniacally funny crescendo. Hang around cabarets and piano bars long enough and you hear that one sung a lot. This was the most memorable rendition I’ve ever seen.”
"Capable of instant mood shifts, she (Lauren Marcus) is by turns charming, cajoling, needy, assertive, petulant, seductive." -The Lakeville Journal on THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG at Sharon Playhouse
“Ms. Marcus just glowed as the third member of this trio of ‘Old Friends,’ the writer who spends most of her time trying to smooth things out.” -Onstageblog.com on MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at Sharon Playhouse
“Marcus is particularly realistic in her work. She makes Mary Flynn the strongest character of the three…” -Berkshire Bright Focus on MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at Sharon Playhouse
“Lauren Marcus’s Audrey is superb…an unapologetic masochist who longs for a better way of life. She wears the delightfully tasteless outfits with pride and assumes a grand manner when things improve for her through the disappearance of her brutally overbearing dentist boyfriend. She sings wonderfully and her rendition of ‘Somewhere That’s Green’ is tender and touching. It’s a great role for this actress and she is terrific in it.
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"As the bubble gum-chewing Suzy, Lauren Marcus displayed some serious comedic chops. Not once did Marcus play repeated examples of Suzy's vacuousness with even a touch of irony. Unlike some of her cohorts, her Suzy had her gloriously golden head on straight, even if there was little in it." -The Manchester Journal on MARVELOUS WONDERETTES at The Weston Playhouse
“Without saying a word, Marcus grabs your attention...Marcus does not fail to deliver.”