A hilarious and multi-dimensional queer Gothic puppet show builds a story of sexual awakening in this joyously metatheatrical extravaganza. Lachlan Werner repeatedly astounds with both technical mastery and a bold creative vision that simply delights.

‘Lachy’, the wide-eyed, fragile, boyish puppeteer expertly manipulates his chaotic, witchy alter ego, the velvety hand-puppet, Brew, who could give any of Jim Henson’s creations a run for their money. Perfectly handling the ventriloquist’s craft of annunciating without moving his mouth, Lachlan imbues Brew with so much life and character that she commands the spotlight. We’re drawn in to feel that she’s the one controlling him — a familiar puppetry trick deployed with finesse and personality to make a wonderfully silly and light dynamic.

Brew is here tonight to take us through a ritual intended to summon the devil (or something — the intentions are carefully left vague). Drawing wisdom from the ancient occult tome onstage, she interrogates members of the audience to establish what people have brought to the rite. As this gets underway with plentiful writhing, jokes and squeals around the room, glimmers of Lachy’s character begin to emerge. He’s the virgin ‘poof’ who’s been led by Brew to meet his doom as the sacrificial lamb of the night. He doesn’t like ‘the sexy part’, and has been encouraged to get into puppeteering by a relative who thought it might help boost his self-esteem.

This is where the show’s inventive mastery of the mechanisms and metaphors of puppetry really emerges. In a brilliantly clever turn, it unpacks the format of the puppetry show, and opens up Lachlan’s seemingly autobiographical relationship not only with puppets but with his own body, sexuality, and performance. Brew prompts him to get his ‘puppet’ out from behind the cobweb-covered chest that sits on the floor, bringing onto the stage a silly wooden spoon which Brew quite unsubtly voices for Lachy. The spoon is demonic, and at first upsets its owner. Lucky for Lachy though, Brew is on hand to helpfully explain that she is the one doing the voice — that’s how puppetry works! She urges him to try it himself, but alas, he cannot: she is the talented one, he is merely a virgin poof.

Brew’s supremacy is challenged when the story takes a twisted turn. The spoon begins to speak for itself, in a deep, gravelly voice that shakes both boy and witch to their bones (or whatever she has instead). What follows is an increasingly dark, visceral and downright dirty possession that sees Lachy take the demon into his body — becoming the puppet himself to an external force. Nudity, frilly underwear, and a delightfully coy sadomasochistic turn take us down a path of an increasingly sexual nature, and the escalation builds to a totally wild yet tightly worked maelstrom of libidinal celebration, witchy empowerment and twinky, cheeky play.

The concept of this piece is excellent, the realisation spot on. It’s gleefully silly and perfectly structured to deliver a fun and honest story of personal empowerment. Lachlan deftly conjures our laughter with a barrage of jokes ranging from the crass to the highly elaborate. One highlight is when he simply makes Brew look up as the train rumbles overhead: the best use of the ‘under the viaduct arches’ quality of all VAULT shows.

This is demonically inspired magic. Lachlan is a bright and talented star on the rise, and this has to be the definitive queer puppet show.

{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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