Marieke's Top of the RoBo

I know the title sort of implies a cross between Robot Wars and Top of the Pops, which could be very exciting indeed. (In fact I may have to ring the BBC asap to pitch the idea of a singing competition for homemade robots). But this is nothing of the kind. What we have here is a list of my favourite bits from Hugh's Rough Book.

In first place we have Broken Fence/Fishing. I've only been fishing once, and sadly I didn't catch anything. I like fish, but I'm clearly not a born angler. I do have a fence in my garden, although if it was broken I doubt I could fix it. Somehow my fishing and fence failures made me feel a special connection to this post. ..

2. The Red Bird photos are a close second. I have no particular reason for liking these, I just think they are brilliant. I also think they would make excellent postcards, donthcyathink? Maybe we should ask Hugh if he'd be interested in releasing a range of greetings cards.

3. In at number three is the Misunderstood Hermit. One of my favourite poems is The Ancient Mariner. I know the Ancient Mariner is not a hermit, but for a split second, seeing this entry made me think of Coleridge's fantastic poem, and as a reward for bringing me that moment of joy, the Hermit makes it into the list.

I hope you have enjoyed Hugh Hughes' Rough Book as much as I have. Remember all of the entries are over on Hugh's website, so if you missed any, do not fear, you can hunt them down on the index page by clicking here, or go straight to that website at www.hughhughes.me.

And one last thing before I leave you for now - we are still on the hunt for a new intern. CVs and cover letters to me (marieke@hoipolloi.org.uk) by April 7th if you are keen. Do also get in touch if you have any questions about the position. But basically it is great so do apply!

It's Friday tomorrow...

Tomorrow is Friday (as I'm sure you know) and of course that means it's the end of the working week. Tomorrow's also a big day for two reasons, firstly it's the final entry in Hugh Hughes' Rough Book (for the time being at least). I've been given a sneak preview and I have to say I think it's one of my favourite entries!

If you haven't already visited the Rough Book, all the entries will appear magically by clicking here but I've also selected two other favourite entries for you to dip into. Definitely have a look at this entry from January about Hugh's trip to Hong Kong that sparked a little bit of debate. Or check this one out also this entry which is a more poetic exploration of the relationship between father and son.

The second reason for my excitement is that I'm doing another presentation about our digital activities. This time it's with students at South Bank University.

I'm cheating a little on this one and doing some recycling of the talk I gave to the AMA Digital Marketing Day last November. But there's also going to be some new material too!

Anyway, if you're a student at SBU and you've just seen the presentation (or perhaps seeing me later today if you're being good and checking out this blog ahead of time!) here's some useful materials for you to check out...







These videos might be of use too...





And finally, here's a link to an interesting debate taking place on Lyn Gardner's blog.

Wanted: Intern!

As much as it saddens me to say, my time here at Hoipolloi is coming to an end. They haven't got rid of me quite yet, but it is that time of year when we start our hunt for the next Hoipolloi intern. For anyone who is interested in the theatre, likes Cambridge (and fruit tea), and wants to be involved with a real live theatre company, the Hoipolloi internship is a great opportunity.

The post is extremely varied and can be tailored to suit the skills and interests of the individual. Some of the duties include writing the company’s blog, assisting with marketing campaigns, liaising with venues and writing press releases and copy for shows.

Previous interns have gone onto train at the Central School of Speech and Drama, L’Ecole Jacques LeCoq and the Theatre Directing MFA at Birkbeck, University of London.

The start date is flexible, but usually begins in September and lasts for about 10 months. It is an unpaid post, but as you only work in the office three days a week there is plenty of time for other employment alongside.

To apply for the position please send a CV and covering letter explaining why you are interested to marieke@hoipolloi.org.uk by Wednesday 7th April. Or if you have any questions about the internship, please feel free to get in touch.

Here, but not 'here'

So here is the crafty thing, I am not actually here. Well, yes, technically it would be impossible to be actually 'in' a blog, and my skills as a contortionist have always been somewhat lacking, thus I have yet to find a way to actually climb inside a computer screen.

The magic thing is that right now I am actually in the middle of some mountains with a pair of planks strapped to my feet, throwing myself down pistes in the freezing cold in the name of fun. Although, right right now I am in the office writing this, but when you are reading this I will be in the alps. Clever, huh?

I knew there would be mass outrage if you didn't get a blog post while I'm away on holiday, so I craftily decided to compose one in advance and techno-whizz Simon has taught me how to save the post and then set a special timer so that it will be unleashed on the world on Tuesday. Step by step I am gradually getting over my 'technological disability' as my sister has so kindly put it.

Technology is still kind of mysterious and magic to me, and it got me thinking about the great magic tricks out there. Of course one of history's most famous magicians was Harry Houdini (real name Erik Weisz, in case you were wondering) who liked to escape from locked things, chains, handcuffs etc. One of the most exciting tricks was when he would escape from a locked milk can. Amazing! Even better than this was 'The Chinese Water Torture Cell' (which already sounds terrifying to me). It involved being suspended upside-down in a locked glass-and-steel cabinet full with water. During the trick he had to hold his breath for over three minutes. Eek!

Then there's David Blaine, who likes to call himself an 'illusionist and endurance artist'. Mr Blaine has done some truly extraordinary things. He was 'buried alive' for a week in 1999. Entombed in an underground plastic box underneath a water-filled tank for seven days he supposedly ate nothing and drank only two to three tablespoons of water a day.

As if this wasn't a big enough achievement Blaine decided in the following year to freeze himself in a block of ice. The stunt was called 'Frozen in Time' and he stood encased in an enormous block of ice in Times Square, dressed only lightly and with a single tube supplying him with air and water. He stayed in the ice for an astonishing 63 hours, 42 minutes and 15 seconds before being removed with chain saws.

After this, Blaine hopped across the pond to London where he was suspended in a transparent box above the South Bank for 44 days. The stunt caused him to lose a shocking 25% of his body weight, he also had hypophospatemia when he was eventually unleashed. Now I like doing the odd card trick, but I would never go to such incredible lengths in the name of entertainment. I'm rather baffled as to why you would put yourself through such challenges, but then again there are a lot of things my brain doesn't understand.

Phantom/Love

First things first, a huge thank you to everyone who came to see 360 in either Oxford or Liverpool. We really hope you enjoyed the show. If you did, you may want to check out our Get A Little Closer page on our website. It will tell you how you can, well, get a little closer, and get in contact via a variety of glorious means. We hope to hear from you!

Over here in the office Simon has opened my eyes to something glorious. He has taught me so much over these past few months, but I think this has to be the greatest gift yet: The West End Whingers. Click the link for unbelievable amounts of joy. I laughed so much I had real tear droplets tumbling down my face. Their reviews of shows are utterly brilliant. My particular favourite is the review of Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest creation, Love Never Dies. I have yet to see the show, but am most intrigued by the extraordinary range of reviews the show has had. So, especially for your enjoyment, and to help with a potential 'should I or should I not book tickets for Love Never Dies' quandry, here is a medly of some of the best bits from the reviews I have read.

First, and possibly most crucially, here is what the West End Whingers had to say...

On the title: "what does it mean? Nothing. Of course love dies. Of course it does. What bollocks."

On the lighting: "It was a bit gloomy. So was the next scene and the one after that. In fact the whole thing was gloomy. Andrew’s advice to people with contact lenses: take eye-drops and a high beam torch."

On the end of act one: "the climax at the end of act one involves Madame Giry throwing a jacket down a stair well. As climaxes go, it’s not really up there"

On the casting: "what a shameful waste of talent"

On a more fitting alternative title: 'Paint Never Dries'


Michael Billington of The Guardian gave the show three stars in his review and on the whole was really quite positive, but not in an 'Omygod you have to see this show or you will be missing out on something totally epic and amazing' way. More in a 'yeah, it's quite good, probably worth seeing, but don't sell a vital organ in order to get hold of a ticket' way. His most quote-worthy comments were probably: "From my distant seat in row O, the performances seemed fine" (not fantastic then). According to Mr Billington the show's main problem...
"What the show lacks, in a nutshell, is narrative tension. For Christine, having discovered her employer's true identity, the big question is "to sing or not to sing?". Hmm, doesn't sound terribly nail-biting to me. I'm also guessing, since it's a musical, she probably does end up singing.

Benedict Nightingale at The Times only gave the show two stars and seemed rather miffed that it was not the original show. I hate to break it to you Benedict, but the point of a sequel is that it is similar but not identical to the first one, something you clearly have yet to grasp:"this Phantom is not the phantom we knew. The “poisoned gargoyle who burns in hell” has clearly taken an anger management course in New York...Where’s the menace, the horror, the psychological darkness?"

Over at The Telegraph Charles Spencer awarded Love Never Dies a very respectable four stars. Although he "attended Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-awaited sequel to his world-conquering Phantom of the Opera with a degree of trepidation." He seemed to like it, and summed things up as follows:"The show may ultimately prove too strange, too dark, too tormented to become a massive popular hit, but I suspect its creepy allure will linger potently in the memory when frothier shows have been long forgotten. "

Now over to members of the great general public, who we can count on for their honest opinions. The comments on whatsonstage.com include the following:

"this pointless waste of money and time"

"Fantastic - enough said! ALW's best ever"

"Tedious"

"Well, it's NOT phantom. It's Phantom meets Vaudeville, but in a bad sort of way"

"Not quite sure what show all these other reviewers went to see but it can't have been Love Never Dies. ...Have seen it twice already and would go again tomorrow!"


So, there you have it folks. I hope that has provided you with at either enlightenment or entertainment, ideally both of course. If you do go and see the show I would love to hear your thoughts.



Thanks to kimba for the photo

Luscious lists

Although many may dispute the strength of the connection and the relevance of the 'relevant' issues I frequently try to link this blog to (what do you mean Cate B's blanket dress wasn't vital news?), I do my best to make it as 'current' as possible. Yet this week I was feeling somewhat creatively flummoxed and had yet to latch onto a particular news topic which could act as the focus for today's piece. So I decided to do some foraging for inspiration and found myself trawling through the Guardian's web pages. Amongst such delightful gems as 'how do you make reading cool?' (give out free bottles of Bacardi Breezers apparently), a delicious recipe for peach and raspberry cobbler and 'Sarah v. Sam - which political wife is the best dressed?', I discovered a few very useful lists.

Now I don't know about you, but I like lists. They are very satisfying to make and to tick items off is a highly fulfilling activity indeed. Unless of course you make ridiculous lists like 'by next month I want to be able to fly, speak Mandarin and train my pug puppy how to make me breakfast and bring it to me in bed on Sunday mornings'. That would just be silly. Anyway, today the Guardian is offering some excellent lists, including 'what to do with browning bananas', and 'ten tips for writing fiction'. Handy stuff. That is if you have lots of bananas lurking around and you are trying to finally write that novel. You know, the one that was on your list of 'things to do by the time I'm... [insert relevant age]'.

Ah ha I thought! This is precisely what we need, some Hoipolloi/theatre related lists. And so, especially for you, I have created the following...

A list for today -some questions and action points:
1. Do I live in or near Oxford or Liverpool?
2. If no, could I get to either without too much schlepping?
3. If 'yes' to either of those... Am I free tonight/tomorrow/Friday/Saturday?
5. If 'yes', then go to http://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/ or http://www.everymanplayhouse.com/
6. Book tickets for Hugh Hughes in 360.
7. See the show and have a fantastic time.


A list for going to the theatre in general - some top tips
1. Don't arrive too early, or too late. If the former happens you will find yourself loitering around and end up spending too much money on bad wine and overpriced peanuts and will be so bored that you'll read every single flyer in the foyer twenty times thus leaving you feeling highly lethargic/drunk before you even get into the auditorium. If the latter occurs you will have to run up the stairs, and so will get hot and sweaty and feel gross and then need to do the awkward clamber over other audience members in order to get to your seat. Because you were in a hurry you forgot to turn off your phone and so half way through Act 2, during a particularly poignant moment, there will be a loud ringing sound emitting from your handbag. Chances are you won't be able to find it because it has fallen through the hole in the lining. Everyone is looking at you and with satanic stares. But there is nowhere to hide. Nowhere...

2. Most programmes contain only a small amount of information which is actually relevant to the show. To get your value for money take it home and use the excess pages for home made wrapping paper, origami practise, paper aeroplanes, or shred it and use it as bedding for the hamster.

3. In advance of your trip do some pelvic floor muscle exercises in order to increase bladder control. Ideally you will not need to go to the loo at the theatre as there is always an enormous queue. Especially in the West End. If you do need to 'powder your nose' you will spend most of the interval stuck in a line, and then will miss out on getting an ice cream. Which, let's face it, is the best part of going to the theatre.

4. Even if you have seen it eight times, and played the Dane in a 'raw, dynamic, highly physical and utterly ground breaking' production of Hamlet at the Fringe while you were at university and are thus a total expert, the rest of the audience will not appreciate you muttering along to 'To be or not to be'. It's best to keep schtum and just appreciate whatever the next 'hot young thing' is doing. Do feel free to analyse the actor's interpretation later. Brutal criticism in the bar afterwards is de rigeur. Especially after a Shakespeare.

5. Make sure you have got a)the right day and b) the right theatre. It is very easy, especially if you book tickets in bulk online, to get somewhat muddled and turn up at the venue on March 12th instead of May 12th, expecting to see Medea, but you find yourself in row F as the houselights are about to go down for Measure for Measure and then someone says 'erm, I think you're in my seat' and you double check your ticket and realise that you have got very muddled indeed. Now you need to trek all the way home feeling disappointed, embarassed and a bit angry. Never good.

So there you go folks. Please do feel free to get in touch if you have any more ideas for optimising one's theatrical visits...








Thanks to koalazymonkey for the pic