REVIEWS
from For the Lack of Laura
The Shaw Theatre, London 2025
Curtain Call Reviews by Emma Rowley
If you are on the hunt for some of the latest new Irish talent, go see For the Lack of Laura.
[...] I must thank this show for allowing me to tune in and identify so much new talent. Mo Lombardo, who plays the baddie, instantly captures my attention with her stage presence and enchanting voice. [... T]his was a stellar performance, and we could feel things shift when she stepped onto the stage.
Gwendolethe was played by Mo Lombardo, and I could not take my eyes away from her when she was on the stage. Her performance was perfection in every way, the evil laugh, the mannerisms, the vocals… it was like she’d dropped out of a Disney movie along with another villain from a different show. But more on that later. It was notable that in between her times playing Gwendolethe, this performer also appeared in the ensemble and drew my eye every time she was on stage.
My View From The Stalls
All That Dazzles
The show’s premise is built on a time travel curse placed upon Laura by Gwendolethe, a wicked witch and the show’s antagonist, played to perfection by Mo Lombardo. [... Her] Gwendolethe is a treat to watch, evoking both menacing charm and the kind of over the-top villainy we rarely see done with such delight. Her wicked laugh could rival that of the Wicked Witch of the West, and her presence adds a wonderfully sinister edge to the show.
Andrew Lawston | 1883 Magazine
As Gwendolethe, Mo Lombardo gets to chew scenery and belt out songs and evil cackling in roughly equal measure. She gives a thoroughly enjoyable performance, and it’s very telling that when she takes her bow at the end of the evening, the audience seem genuinely unsure whether she ought to be booed or
applauded.
Brodway World
At the other end of the scale, Mo Lombardo looks like she has been asked to play the witch Gwendolethe as “Rhiannon-period” Stevie Nicks, but in the style of a pantomime villain [... ] [with] Lombardo’s excellent vocals and fully committed performance.