Rabbit reviews and radios...

Posted by Sara Green (Marketing and Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

It is official - the first UK tour of Story of a Rabbit is well and truly under way!

With a successful opening at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, an exciting run at The Junction in Hoipolloi’s home town of Cambridge and great performances in Liverpool and Brighton, Hugh and Aled are over halfway through.

The show has been receiving very positive reviews and it's been exciting to receive them here at the office as we are able to see the success of the show on paper as well as from the enthusiastic phone calls from Hugh that we get every day.

One of the best reviews is from What’s on Stage which opens with “it takes nerve as well as skill to make a show about death into an entertainment".

The review goes on to explore the subject matter of the show and how people deal with death, something that affects everyone. After all, as the reviewer says:

“The rabbit died, for no particular reason. Rabbits do that. In April 2001, Hugh was woken by a telephone call from his brother. It was to tell him that their father had died suddenly, of a heart attack while winding the church clock. People do that. They have heart attacks, even fathers of families.”

To read the full review of the show click here.

Another great review is by Jakki Phillips from Brighton Argus. Here is a short excerpt:

"Hughes's twinkling optimism gives the show an incredible life force which is reinforced by the badges we are given as we leave. They say "Here one minute...gone the next," and, like the show itself, make you want to grasp life with both hands but most importantly, phone your dad.”

To read the full review click here.

As well as these there is the brilliant Guardian Blog which has recently featured a little discussion about the show and the unusual nature of the audience participation that Hugh encourages. To read the comments click here.

So two fantastic reviews and a mention on the Guardian Blog, what more could we ask for?

How about the radio interviews that Hugh has done that have gone down a treat across the country. We had Aled and Hugh being interviewed by Aled’s old primary teacher and well known actor Dean Sullivan which was hilarious and touching as well as the most recent clip on Classic FM in which Hoipolloi’s very own Simon Bedford (apparently known as "long-length"-because of his amazing height) gets a mention. To listen to the podcast click here.

All in all, we're very pleased!

Story of a Rabbit's having a short breaking from touring at the beginning of next week before it returns to Ipswich on 30 & 31 May. But things don't quieten down yet for Hugh. He's off to Moscow with Sioned for two performances of Floating.

For more information on the both shows and how to book tickets for the rest of the Story of a Rabbit tour visit our website.

Hugh speaks... Norwich and Norfolk Festival

Posted by Hugh Hughes

I travelled from Hoipolloi’s home base in Cambridge, up to Norwich yesterday. It is a journey that normally takes 75 minutes. It took me 6 hours. I was stuck in a traffic jam caused by an accident involving a lorry.

Being trapped inside the car for 360 minutes made me think of submarines. I spent a long period of time watching the cars on the other side of the road, imagining them to be fish, sharks and other aquatic life forms. As the sun hit the bonnets and made them shine I saw their silvery skin swish past me.

The idea of labelling fish with registration plates seemed like a good idea – to avoid confusion. The reports coming in on the radio talked about life on land. A place far from my underwater world. Submerged, I found tranquillity away from the dry place. This wet place offered silent relief.

Another soundscape was emerging. One that drew me towards a colourful place with light and space. The initial feeling of entrapment was being replaced by the freedom of this newfound territory not far from Newmarket.

And then I thought that it was likely that I was rapidly becoming the person who had spent the most time on this particular spot on earth. Because, where my submarine was hovering, was normally passed through at 70 miles an hour by people in motor vehicles. When the traffic started to move, I felt the disruption that wildlife must feel when the builders move in to build the next housing estate for humans.