A chance encounter with stage and screen actor Leigh Lawson at a recent press night brought this volume of poems, Now and Then, to my attention.
Lawson has had a notable career including Alec D’Urberville in Roman Polanski’s Tess (and twenty other films), and the TV series Travelling Man and Kinsey. He has appeared at the RSC and the National Theatre.
Long married to Twiggy, he also shares a son with Hayley Mills, and all three are mentioned in this book, which covers personal and professional thoughts in verse.
The poems themselves were written over a number of years (Lawson told me he had ‘always written poetry’) and are accompanied by stories and anecdotes about the times the poems were written.
It’s a fascinating first collection from a man in his eighties, reflecting back on a sixty-year career in the public eye, starting in theatre rep.
Although the poems may appear rather old-fashioned, with heavy use of rhyme and mostly standard structure, they have a refreshing heart and honesty.
Dedicated ‘to those I love who are no longer at my table’, Lawson brings back his friends and colleagues on the page. These are secret scribblings from a life well lived, now shared with us. The earliest poem dates from 1969.
Clearly, Leigh Lawson’s work owes a debt to that of Thomas Hardy, and that’s quite a compliment. Poems dedicated to his son, Ace, and his granddaughter, are sweet and full of happiness. A poem about his abusive father is reflective in its rage.
With a love of theatre, travelling, and friendship, and a fair bit of namedropping (as you’d expect from a long-time thesp), Now and Then has a lovely spirit.
It catches an English winter, a broken relationship, and even a mention of Lawson’s great-great aunt, music hall star Marie Lloyd. It’s honest about coming up through rep, being in love, and ageing.
“I didn’t become an actor to become famous, I became an actor because I love, and am passionate about acting”, notes Lawson towards the end of the book.
I’d say he also loves, and is passionate about, life and the living of it. The memory of it.
The last poem is for Jason, ‘Ace’, the eldest of his children. It’s almost achingly beautiful.
You can buy Leigh Lawson’s book, Now and Then, from Flapjack Press and most major booksellers.