Abstract
For the last three decades of the twentieth century the Lambert Puppet Theatre was effectively the national children’s theatre of Ireland. Not tied to any specific educational programme (apart from the Safe Cross Code for crossing the road) it was able to offer quality entertainment to the young and the not so young. Emerging at a time when live puppet theatre was almost forgotten, Eugene Lambert (1928–2010) created a style of puppet theatre with a particular Irish flavour, frequently using techniques belonging to the more popular tradition of the Christmas pantomime. This chapter provides context for a discussion of puppet theatre in Ireland, before offering a considered view of the Lambert family’s work and its distinctive contributions to Irish theatre.
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Notes
- 1.
In his earlier years Eugene Lambert (b. 1928), son of a Sligo librarian, although an electrician by training, was also a highly successful ventriloquist, frequently performing in workmen’s halls and music halls in the UK. This undoubtedly honed his skills as a popular entertainer. Until his very last years, he would warm up audiences with the character of Judge from Wanderly Wagon.
- 2.
Judy, Gene, Stephen, Miriam, David, Paula, Jonathan, Noel, Liam and Conor. Five of the Lambert children are still involved with puppets. Liam runs the theatre and Miriam gives solo performances, often for young children with stories such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In 1980 she took over the role of the popular RTÉ puppet Bosco, which then passed to her sister Paula. Bosco remains with Paula, who has her own travelling show with much audience interaction in the tradition of the Lambert theatre. Conor is a noted Punch “professor” with an interesting modern slant and is a talented scriptwriter, stand-up comedian and actor. Liam and his wife Eva have toured widely outside Ireland, including the Middle East.
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McCormick, J. (2018). The Lambert Theatre and Puppetry Redefined. In: Jordan, E., Weitz, E. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Irish Theatre and Performance. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58588-2_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58588-2_19
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