My London run of The Petty Concerns of Luke Wright has come to an end. I’ve really enjoyed traveling up to London everyday. I’ve enjoyed the discipline its imposed on my life, and I’ve enjoyed the intensely private experience of performing. That might sound weird, but despite being surrounded by people I think performing can be a very private experience. The only person that has come close to sharing this run with me was my technician Andy Tandy. It’s been great spending time with him, but as he’s not directly involved with the creative side of the show, the show and I have existed together alone for the last three weeks.
The show has become a living thing again and I’ve fallen in love with it. Perhaps for the first time. Edinburgh is always such a fraught experience. The weather is shit, the nights are late, the reviews are intense and show is green and often awkward. Performing it again has given it a chance to shine, with all of that gawky adolescence gone. It’s grown into a fine adult.
I now get to take it around the country on tour. I have close to 20 dates before the festival season and then I hope to add about 10-15 for October and November. Having had these 15 dates to let the show mature I feel really excited about the tour, far more confident in the material than in previous years.
So, please indulge me as I show off, like a proud parent, about all the nice things the press have said about my baby:
“Luke Wright’s poems hit their mark with pinpoint precision.” TIME OUT – CRITICS’ CHOICE (27 Jan – 02 Feb 2010)
“Beautifully constructed turns of phrase.” The Londonist
“These performances are slippery things, blending anecdotal stand-up with ferociously paced, fervent poetry.” THE INDEPENDENT
“The poetry is woven into the stories in such a way that it borders on stand up comedy and he leaps from topic to topic with such confidence that the one hour show seems much, much shorter.” BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
“There’s a lot of humour in these stories but it’s the sense of him coming to terms with the man he’s become, a new father, a Mondeo driver, that makes the greatest impact, that makes this show really compelling.” MUSICOMH
“And this is no mumbled abashed poetry reading: Wright is a consummate performer, there’s a rhythm and a pulse that’s almost musical in his delivery, which gives it a breathless, zingy energy. The poetry/stand up combo, which might not sound entirely promising, turns out to be a winning formula, and ensures Wright’s concerns don’t feel too petty at all.” SPOONFED
Ah, ego massage over.
This weekend has been very exciting. On Friday I went on The Verb of Radio 3 with top fellow and poet Ian McMillan. I love The Verb, and this live recording was no disappointment. You can hear it on iPlayer.
Last night was the book launch of John Osborne’s What If Men Burst In Wearing Balaclavas? which is the second book to be published by my press – Nasty Little Press. The book is marvelous and John gave a great reading. I did some stuff in support and debuted a new poem which will form a pretty important part of my new show Cynical Ballads. I’ll be taking the show to London next year and then on tour. There will be a few previews this summer. Anyway, the poem went really well so I’m hopeful.
February sees me spending a bit of time at home with the fam and working on poems for Cynical Ballads. On 16 we launch our new Norwich Poetry Club. We have the fabulous Martin Newell as our first guest, with 30 mins from me too.
Dear Luke, me and my friends saw you at the Red Lion last night and thought you were really great – it’s rare to see someone so funny but with such an epic way of telling stories… and how refreshing to go and see someone who doesn’t get their laughs at other people’s expense. We wish you all the best!