EDINBURGH 2023: Review: LACHLAN WERNER – VOICES OF EVIL, Pleasance Courtyard, The Cellar

The concept of Lachlan Werner - Voices of Evil is a surprisingly simple one. Brew is a small witch always accompanied by Lachy, “her poof.” Together, they are going to perform a ritualistic sacrifice, in which Lachy definitely won’t be killed as the virgin sacrifice.

From the second he steps on stage, Werner does a brilliant job of contrasting Lachy and Brew, with Lachy being shy and awkwardly moving around the stage and Brew cursing at the audience and confidently swinging around the space. It truly felt like the two characters were their own and yet connected, something that only the best of ventriloquists, including Werner, can do. 

Throughout the show, Brew interacts with the audience, having Lachy take her around and confront individual people. There is a song in which items are selected for the ritual, and it was hilarious to watch Werner break at someone having “spray glue” in their bag, the most unique item that has been brought to a sacrifice. I was given a tambourine and had fun keeping the rhythm for the song, especially with Brew herself complimenting me (in her own special way)! 

In a hilarious bit, Brew herself does some ventriloquism with a spoon (I won’t go into many spoilers as it is better to experience it for yourself), but things take a dark turn when the spoon takes on a voice of its own. This leads into the darker section of the show in which Lachy becomes possessed, turning into the puppet instead of being the one controlling a puppet. It’s an interesting concept done well and I loved seeing Werner switch between Lachy and The Destroyer. This is the point in the show in which the “scenes of a sexual nature” warning comes into play in the funniest way possible, creating a surprising role reversal. 

Ultimately, Lachlan Werner - Voices of Evil is a fun show that allows Werner to show off not only their fantastic ventriloquism skills but their acting and singing abilities as well! The audience participation is fun and I loved how it made each show unique. Some parts may have gone on for a bit longer than I would have liked, but that does not take much away from the show as a whole.

It is an incredibly well-done debut and I cannot wait to see what is next for Werner. 

Lachlan Werner - Voices of Evil runs at Pleasance Courtyard, The Cellat at 22:30 until 27 August (no performance on 23 August).

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