“Pub Grub”. Wright feels the movement of his own show title in his mouth as he speaks it out loud. It’s so satisfying, he says, we should all say it together. And it does indeed feel juicy. Say it now yourself and know the truth of the matter. And so the tone is set, with an honest and generous love for words right at the forefront, stories and memories utilising this long-time affair robustly and with a fond and respectful familiarity. This is his 27th year performing, and the enjoyment and vitality Wright brings to his show – and his lexicon – is that of a relationship that has gone the distance and is only getting stronger.
The title poem also sets the tone for the rest of the show: without pretension, vivid, and with language that is immersively engaging. Even his oratory loop-the-loop writing acrobatics in the poems ‘Town Not Gown’ and ‘Donald Dewbury’s Date’ complete their impressive feats of writing in univocalism (a new one on me) and alliteration without compromise in performance or clear rapt storytelling. He comes to us, performing physically, sensitively, and comically with his big-gun armaments of words.
Wright also touches on his own youth, his family, and his developing political stance – from zealous left-wing punk to his current status as the listener of a broad breadth of political podcasts. In ‘Your Anger’ he eloquently bursts the balloon of his younger self’s vitriol, leaving hanging a thoughtful consideration for nuance. Beautifully paced and annunciated in his own Essex brogue, Pub Grub is more nourishing for the soul and heart than any Wetherspoon’s ploughman’s.
Luke Wright: Pub Grub, 19.20. Pleasance Dome, Until August 12
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/luke-wright-pub-grub
