LUKE WRIGHT’S THE REMAINS OF LOGAN DANKWORTH
A brilliant, at times astonishing, performance from East Anglia’s very own alternative Poet Laureate.
This year marks LUKE WRIGHT’s 25th year of performance poetry. Despite frequent shows in Norwich, this is the first time (bar listening to a snippet of a performance during NNF whilst passing Chapelfield Gardens a few years back) that I have caught him live.
Tonight sees Wright giving two performances. The first is a relatively short “poetry recital”, the second is one-man “verse-play” The Remains of Logan Dankworth.
The first part features six new poems interspersed with spoken word and general chit-chat that may best be described as stand-up comedy. Contrary to a review early in his career, which Wright references tonight, he is far funnier than river blindness. If I had any talent, I may have composed I Won’t Stop Til I’ve Had Too Much about myself. Spad - a univocal poem in which the use of only one vowel is permitted – is a work of genius whilst Are Murmurations Worth It is a delightful toddler tantrum of a performance. There is an arrogance and cockiness in Wright’s stage persona that, being a fan of the ranting likes of Attila the Stockbroker and Seething Wells, I thoroughly enjoy.
According to Wright’s own publicity, The Remains of Logan Dankworth is the “third of Luke Wright’s trilogy of political verse plays” and “looks at trust, fatherhood and family in the age of Brexit”. Not being familiar with the previous two, I can’t comment on how … Dankworth fits in but I can say that it is a thought-provoking, eloquent, savage, tender, satirical, intelligent and thoroughly enjoyable hour. Given that it is one man playing multiple parts, there are times during the discussions and arguments between the title character and his wife, Meghan (no, not that Meghan), where I struggle to work out which character is talking. That however does little to diminish the power of the performance or my enjoyment of it and, well, it gives me an excuse to see this again if I get the chance. Astonishing.
