Ventriloquist clown Lachlan Werner: ‘No one ever holds you responsible for what a puppet says’

Many people – myself amongst them – who saw Lachlan Werner’s sell-out debut show Voices of Evil at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023, emerged from the basement black box afterwards sweatier and more bedraggled, grinning, and in no doubt that a new star had arrived.

How to describe what we had just seen – or more correctly, been immersed in – was a more difficult task.

Blurring boundaries of clowning, live art, comedy and ventriloquism, this hugely theatrical, gothic-horror-soaked hour announced Werner as a unique and exciting new talent whose future creative journey will be intriguing to watch.

On June 27, the show will come to The Wardrobe Theatre as part of Werner’s debut tour, which takes in dates in England, Scotland and one night at The Elysian in LA.

How would you describe your own comedy aesthetic, as it appears in Voices of Evil?

“This show has a particular visual aesthetic. I think it walks a line between genuinely creepy (a blend of Victorian gothic and 80s horror) and a really stupid, squishy, puppet-y aesthetic. I like to think it’s what you’d get if Jim Henson had made a horror film. It’s also camp; there’s a hint of Rocky Horror in there too.

“I think that balance is what keeps it appealing to lots of people: one moment my head is spinning and a demon is terrorising you, the next I am making spoons talk. There’s something for everyone!”

Who inspired you to try ventriloquism at seven years old, and what did it unlock for you?

“I actually wish I could remember who exactly was the first ventriloquist I ever saw. I can’t, but it was on YouTube. At the time I was a very shy, very freaky, dyspraxic queer kid, and what it unlocked for me was this magic secret space where I could play loudly and say all the naughty things I wanted, while being completely hidden and masked. No one ever holds you responsible for what a puppet says. It’s an armour in the same way wearing drag can be for other queer people, but can also get you in trouble and be exposing, which is great as a clown!

“It’s become an exciting exploration of how we claim our own voice, or how to throw off some of the voices inside us. Brew (my witch puppet) can express joy, disgust, frustration, anarchy, all kinds of things that I don’t think I can so freely as myself.”

Brew the witch with Lachlan Werner in ‘Voices of Evil’

When you’re performing, what do you most enjoy about your unfolding relationship with an audience? How does this manifest in an hour-long show, as opposed to a set?

“I love a journey. Because I’m not a standup, and what I do requires a level of mystery and play and even world-building, a gig set really means just giving an audience a peep. It can be fun but there’s also definitely an expectation to simply get laughs quickly. I love that a longer full comedy show can be more than that. You can say “strap in” and make them laugh but also lead an audience down a path and into the woods.

“Voices of Evil can often feel like being on a rollercoster, for me and the audience. Once the ride is going we are all fully just on it together, and it has some big scary drops.”

‘Lachy’ and the unfolding ritual

To what extent has the reaction to your show surprised you?

“I never expected that the show would have such a lasting culty effect, which honestly is dreamy. People have returned to it again and again, especially in Edinburgh and Soho, knowing the chants, bringing things as offerings for the ‘ritual’. Queer audiences tend to see the layers of the show, and that has been the most exciting thing.

“After one Halloween show last year, someone came up to me to say, “So THAT’S where the ‘what did you bring to the ritual’ song comes from” – their housemates had been singing a chant from the show for a year.

“I began the show right after the pandemic and I felt it was just a fun, stupid thing to try at the time. It made me laugh to imagine using ventriloquism this way to talk about queerness, but I had no idea it would become such a calling card for me, and the success in Edinburgh was just a total whirlwind. I love that the people who love it, really love it. It feels like it’s their comedy.”

Spells and incantations

How much has it shaped the direction in which you take your next show?

“I’m sure now that ventriloquism, clowning and stupidity are tools for theatre as well as comedy. There is still a lot to explore. I’m want to continue making worlds on stage that brilliant weirdo audiences can come play inside of with me!

“I want to keep telling queer escapist stories in really, really stupid ways with the tools I have. And learning how to use new tools! I’m now working on a show where I play even more characters and am going to learn some very new physical skills and illusions.”

Lachlan Werner: Voices of Evil is at The Wardrobe Theatre on June 27 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at www.thewardrobetheatre.com. Follow @lachywerner for updates.

All photos: courtesy of Lachlan Werner

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