Luke Wright’s is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of his first ever gig with a National Tour, stopping off at the Soho Theatre from 10th to 13th of April. With a new Poet Laureate set to be announced later this year, he makes it clear that he has no wish of possessing the title, but that doesn’t stop him playing with the possibility of grasping it.
Throughout this poetry filled evening, Wright introduces us to his life, his career as a poet and performer, and many of his trials and tribulations, which he carries out in a witty and stoic way. He has a great sense of flow, stability and, some might say timing, demonstrated through his pick of poems. It’s also worth mentioning his astounding way of picking up on the audience’s emotions, which gives an opportunity to strike with an ace every time. Some people might equate poetry to boring school days, let me tell you with this it is not the case. Why? Because of Wright’s moments of pure honesty, where he evaluates our current world with bitter and enraging moments keeping you present, since these are truths you cannot disagree with no matter how unpleasant. But luckily, he is quick with the pulse of the room so he also injects plenty of comedy too.
There is a wonderfully theatrical side to this poet. He has a strong voice. He uses big gestures, both of which can get anyone to the core of the poem, even those who might not think they can understand this art form will have no trouble following it through. I really appreciated the truthfulness of his words, he is not one to sugar coat things, especially life. He will tell it how it is but will not preach about mistakes, instead he will use his own self as an example. Those were the golden moments of this performance where one is hit with the truth yet can unwind and laugh at another persons relatable troubles in life.
I see Luke Wright’s Poet Laureate performance fitting better in a bar setting giving it more of an intimate atmosphere. This, in some way was already achieved with his personal stories and a glass of wine in his right hand, but in a pub maybe even the audience could get to indulge with him.
Photo Credit: Idil Sukan
