We’re leaving town in just over an hour. I’ll be in an airport lounge this time tomorrow. Wow.
Here’s a recap of my Edinburgh.
Cynical Ballads
+ Last 15 show completely SOLD OUT. Extra show added.
+ Runner-Up In The Amused Moose Laughter Awards.
+ Front cover of The Scotsman Festival Supplement
* * * * * The Scotsman – “Timely, patriotic, touching and consistently funny, this outstanding show marries form and content in a way that defies superlative and leaves a choking gap within you when it finishes.”
* * * * * The List – “The real deal … exquisite hour … John Cooper Clarke has said of the poet: ‘He must be on some kind of dope’. Whatever it is that Luke Wright has been ingesting, artists of all genres need to get it bottled right now.”
* * * * * One4Review – “Funny, extremely entertaining and masterfully delivered creations from this imposing lad from Colchester.”
* * * * The Daily Telegraph – “A zestful relish for pump-action word-play combines with a thoughtful and deeply felt understanding of just how messed-up Britain is today, whether it’s celebrity-worship, elitist politicians or hellish anti-social behaviour. Thoroughly recommended.”
* * * * WhatsOnStage – “(the poems) conjure modern British life in an expertly observed, lovingly critical and (in the best sense) patriotic style, in a show with ideas and intentions far larger than the small, attentive Underbelly audience that Wright will surely soon outgrow.”
* * * * Chortle – “This impresses for its poignant literacy”
* * * * Fest – “One particular tale has a woman crying in the row behind. Another provokes an old man to kiss his wife on the cheek. The world, as it turns out, hasn’t really changed and poetry is still as relevant and powerful today as it ever was.”
* * * * Hand + Star – “They are masterpieces of energetic word-craft.”
* * * * Exeunt – “Wright could well be the most relevant poet of this generation, which, … makes his show perhaps the most important of this year’s Fringe.”
* * * * Threeweeks – “Wright’s set is one that confronts our collective evils without preaching about them.”
Aisle16 R Kool! also picked up a clutch of good review:
* * * * * Threeweeks – “One of the most enjoyable hours I have ever spent.”
* * * * The Scotsman – “Aisle 16 may not really be all that kool but they make poetry seem cool which can only be a good thing. It’s wonderful to see a group of performers having such a good time with each other, spurring each other on to overcome their exhaustion and raising their game to create such a fab, funny and entertaining show.”
* * * * Fest – “A fitting tribute to the power of the spoken word, Aisle16 R Kool! is a powerful, enjoyable and intellectually stimulating literary journey through time, space and the most powerful performance tool of all: imagination. It’s very funny, completely different to any other type of performance comedy and a reminder of how easy it can be to become immersed in the English language.”
Tim won the Kool vote. It came down to the last day, he beat me by four votes on the final count. I’ll take that.
Wow! It’s been quite a month. Thanks to everyone who came to see the show – Cynical Ballads had 1200+ in the end – I feel exhausted.
Oh, and I done a couple of new recordings for Soundcloud.
Australia here we come!