Luke Wright’s Silver Jubilee

Crack out the bunting! It’s Luke Wright’s Silver Jubilee.

Over twenty-five years, Luke Wright has built up a reputation for being one of Britain’s most popular live poets. He has won an unprecedented four Saboteur Awards (national awards for spoken word), a Stage Award, and a Fringe First. He’s sold out shows across the world and regularly tours with John Cooper Clarke and The Libertines.

This year, thwarted in his attempts to hold a street party by the philistines on the council and unable to shift the over-ordered commemorative plates, Wright does what a poet does best, and takes a deep dive into himself. What follows is his most confessional show to date.

Wright was adopted as a baby and grew up believing that his adoption “wasn’t a big thing.” But one night he idly stumbled across his birth mother on Facebook. This window to a world that might have been his has thrown up deep questions about privilege, familial love, and destiny. This show is an excavation of lives lived and not lived. Wright navigates his audience through a warm and honest hour of poems and stand-up with the directness and pathos that has made him one of the most popular live poets in England. With some wild experiments in form, a nervous kitten called Sir John Betjeman and a healthy smattering of drum n bass, Wright manages to navigate some heart-wrenching material and keep the laughs coming.

This show debuted to a packed arena at Latitude Festival before a sell out run at the Edinburgh Fringe where it was the toast of the critics.

“Luke is on fire! A poetic interrogation of himself, who he is and where he is from that leaves you tenderised and bruised and with a little something in your eye.” Mark Thomas

★★★★★ “This is the best thing that poet Luke Wright has done, which is saying something.”  The Telegraph
★★★★★ “A winning combination of honesty, humour, ire and wonder. He is at the peak of his powers.”  The Stage
★★★★★ “The best exploration of love, family and belonging I have ever had the pleasure of seeing.”  The Student
★★★★★ “On the basis of the stellar quality of this show – here’s to another twenty-five.” The Wee Review
★★★★★ “Britain’s finest performance poet.” Life As Theatre
★★★★  “Breathtaking … with a sharpness and wisdom that lifts the soul, and soothes the battered heart.” The Scotsman
★★★★ “Wright is entrenched in the sound and feel of words, a love he leans into with a mix of boisterous energy, and gentle pathos” The QR
★★★★ “Luke Wright is a gifted performer, a talented poet and a definite favourite of ours. Treat yourself to an hour in his company.” Darkchat

The Stage “best 15 shows of the fringe”
The Telegraph “best 13 shows of the fringe”
The Crush Bar “top ten shows of the fringe”

Written & performed by Luke Wright
Supported by Norwich Arts Centre and Arts Council, England