Lewis Doherty… working on a follow up to Wolf… thank-you Comedy Gods!

Hello Lewis, so what did you get for Christmas?
Hiya! I got some ridiculous hot sauce called Mega Death, which was a highlight(?)

Last Fringe was quite a dramatic inception for Wolf. Were you surprised by the public reaction?
Yes and no; Its a show that I’m really proud of and I knew once people saw it and started talking about it in Edinburgh then it would snowball from there. One thing that did surprise me was just how accessible the show was. I really thought it would have quite a niche audience but since doing Edinburgh I’ve had people bring their kids, mums, grandparents (who love it!) So that’s been a great surprise so far.

Last August I had the pleasure of bumping into you personally. I found the real Lewis a pleasant, rather humble man – a far cry from the character on stage. How did you manage to create such a restless, ebullient stage persona?
Awww shucks! Thanks! I suppose I just love performing, so there’s a part of me I present on stage that enjoys doing it.

Image result for lewis doherty wolf tour

Will you be touring Wolf in 2019, & if so where?
Yeah, absolutely! I’m currently touring right now! I’ve just finished a run at the Birmingham REP and I’m at the Nottingham Playhouse 15th, 16th Feb – then we hit up Leicester Comedy Festival on the 23rd, over to Waterside Arts Centre on the 28th, then Exeter Phoenix 10th March, and finishing up at SOHO Theatre 21st -23rd March! Its been amazing so far – I’m hoping that I can reach a wider audience this year with the show and tour again next year – so If you do miss it or it isn’t coming to a city close enough, keep your eyes peeled!

You have been working on something new, can you tell us about it?
Sure! I’ve been working on a new show called BOAR (another animal themed title) its a medieval action epic tale about two bounty hunters who end up being sent on a quest to defeat an evil dragon and save a princess

For someone who saw Wolf, will they be experiencing a generic sequel
or something quite different?
I’m trying to keep the skeleton of the show (WOLF) intact but I think its really important to keep creating and experimenting with new elements, that’s why I’ve decided to switch genre and go with a completely different set of characters – I’m still trying to develop this “one man show language” and I want to keep it engaging for audiences as well as myself – otherwise its just WOLF with different packaging.

Image result for lewis doherty BOar

Was Boar easier or a more difficult creation than Wolf?
Tough question; It was easier because I’ve already done WOLF so I feel like I understand what it takes to develop a show like that, and what works with audiences. Also harder, because the genre I’ve decided to take on is typically more epic and has a lot more story strands to it, so the development and creation of BOAR has been a very different beast to the first

You will be performing one show at Vault Festival – how did you get
the gig & why?
I’ll be doing BOAR at Vault Festival on the 6th March, 9:15pm. I applied basically – its a fantastic festival with some interesting things going on and a great platform to showcase work.

Image result for vault festival

Have you performed at Vault before?
Yep! I did the first ever showing of WOLF there – it was 30minutes long and I’ve never been so nervous in my LIFE! Everyone that came to the gig that night was great though

I know you like to catch other acts – is there anything in particular
at Vault you fancy?
There are so many things! Here’s a list off the top of my head of stuff I’m trying to get to:

Bottled by Hayley Wareham
Thrown by Living Record
Police Cops
The Wrong Ffion Jones
Alcatraz by Right Mess
Jack Barry WIP
Spencer Jones WIP
WOOD by Adam Foster
See-Through by Claire Gaydon