I’ve Always Liked the Name Marcus: A soul-search brimming with attitude
An actor with mixed-race heritage navigates expectations made of him, in Matthew Sharpe’s play.
The MAC - Upstairs, Belfast
★★★★☆
When we first see Marcus – a charming 30-year-old actor, created by Matthew Sharpe – he is unstoppable. Behind a transparent scrim, where a hazy basketball court seems to occupy the depth of the MAC’s stage, he dribbles a ball in a procession of quick and neat steps, before shooting for the hoop. He gets it through the net nearly every time.
Marcus may be a man in motion but when he stops to introduce himself, he surprisingly comes to a halt. “My name is …” he begins, hesitantly, before asking the desk operator to play “Surround Sound,” the inescapable song by Atlanta rapper JID. He puts on a swagger, the big gestures required to hype-up a crowd, as if his only way to introduce himself is to address us as like fans at a concert – all while guided by the song’s lyrics (“I’m black and snatchin’ crowns.”).