5 stars and just 1 day to wait

David should be taking a well-deserved day off today so it's left to me, Simon, to complete today's blog entry.

And what an exciting day to pick up the reins! It started with a delightful email from Nancy, our press rep, to say that we've picked up not one but two 5 star reviews today for Hugh Hughes in... 360!

The first is from Three Weeks (which I'm yet to find a copy of online) but starts:

"I can't figure out the mechanics of the magic trick I saw this evening, so there's no way of explaining it properly in a review"

And then continues on to say:

"As beneath the surface something extraordinary is happening: impossibly subtle states of mind are being expressed. I've never seen anything like this before, and as soon as I've recovered I'm going straight back."

Once it's online, I'll link you to the rest!

Our second 5 star came from a blog called All the Festivals and can be found here!

It's also just one day until The Doubtful Guest opens at the Traverse Theatre and I'm getting stupidly excited about it! Tomorrow's preview is sold out but there are still tickets available for the remaining 11 shows and you can get your ticket for the show here.

Oh, and if you haven't already, head down to the Pleasance to see Hugh Hughes. He's got a day off today but is back on at 7.05pm tomorrow. Book your tickets here!

Another great day for Hugh!

Another sunny day in Edinburgh and another great day for Hugh whose second performance of 360 went down just as well as the first. We were thrilled to have so many people in the audience and we're getting lots of really positive feedback about the show. Derek, who saw it last night very kindly recorded an Audio Boo about what he thought.



Hugh has also been given a 5* review by A Local's Guide to Edinburgh. You can read the full review on their website but to give you a few snippets, Colin Scott said that Hugh Hughes ...in 360 is "brilliant" and that you should "go and see it...you will not be disappointed".

Hoipolloi have also been spotted by The Scotsman who have listed 360 in their 'Top 100 shows to see at the Fringe'. Time Out have selected the Doubtful Guest as one to watch as well. We can't wait for the second Hoipolloi show at the Fringe to open on the 18th and you can book tickets for The Doubtful Guest here.

Hugh will be performing again tonight at 7.05pm at the Pleasance Courtyard. We'll also be flyering around Edinburgh all afternoon so come and say hello if you see us.

Hugh Hughes in Reading (not blue-ing)

Before he goes onstage, Hugh Hughes likes to jabber away to himself as part of his warm-up for a performance. "Here we are, in Reading... not blue-ing!!", he declaimed last night before deciding that joke probably shouldn't make it into the show...

But even if it had, I suspect his audience last night in Reading would have lapped it up. It was our last preview of Hugh's new show 360 and, once again, it went down a storm.

It was perhaps the opposite of Hugh's Latitude performance. There he had a huge tent and hundreds of people to play to. At Reading's South Street Arts Centre the audience was small but perfectly formed, leading to a delightfully intimate performance and a wonderful feeling of friendship in the room.

You know when bands do 'secret gigs'? Usually performed in tiny venues and only announced at the last minute to fans who are used to seeing them play in arenas and stadiums... For me, it was a bit like that. Edinburgh audiences are likely to be a little bigger and Pleasance Two is a very different space to play. But I'll look back on last night as a wonderfully intimate version of a show which I think is going to be as big a success as Hugh's previous work, and has a long touring life ahead of it.

To book a ticket for 360 in Edinburgh, just click here. You can see Hugh Hughes in... 360 at 7.05pm at Pleasance Two from 5 to 31 August (no performances on the 11th or 17th).

Don't forget also to book your ticket for The Doubtful Guest, at Traverse from 18 to 30 August (no performance on 24th). Tickets are selling fast already (and I'm not just saying that!) so get in quick. Click here to book tickets and to see a full listing of performance dates and times.

The countdown to Edinburgh begins!

360 down to 30

The countdown has begun and it's now just under a month to go before Hugh Hughes opens his brand new show, 360, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

One of the first stages of his preparation, a preview gig at the Museum of London, took place last week. A huge thank you to Laughterinoddplaces for inviting Hugh and everyone who joined us in a pretty hot and sweaty Medieval London section to hear a 25 minute excerpt.

Some lovely people have posted photos of the event on Flickr, view them by clicking here.

Hugh's taking a well-earned break this week and has returned to his native Anglesey to spend some quality time with his Mum and other friends and family.

Back here in the Hoipolloi office, preparations continue apace for the Fringe. Our accommodation is booked, we're just sorting out our travel plans and, of course, making sure as many people as possible know we'll be performing!

There will be quite a Hoipolloi presence in Edinburgh during August and if you spend any time at either the Traverse or the Pleasance Courtyard, I'm sure you'll bump into one of us!

Thank you to everyone who's already bought their tickets! To get hold of your tickets, please click here to book for Hugh Hughes in... 360 and click here for your tickets for The Doubtful Guest.

We'll continue to keep you updated on how things are progressing over the next few weeks and look forward to seeing you in Edinburgh!

Time to let the cat out of the bag...

So, it's time to let the cat out of the bag (and provide myself with a terrible excuse for a semi-cute animal picture!)...

We're off to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!

As it's our fifteenth birthday this year, we thought we'd really push the boat out and have decided to take two shows up to the Festival.

We're really excited that The Doubtful Guest will be playing a strictly limited season at the prestigious Traverse Theatre. This darkly comic tale, inspired by Edward Gorey's fantastic book, will run from 18 to 30 August at varying times.

And Hugh Hughes is heading back to his regular haunt at the Pleasance Courtyard to premiere his brand new show, Hugh Hughes in...360. This time he'll be found in the Comedy section, with shows at 7.05pm from 5 to 31 August.

Full schedules for both shows can be found here.

We'll be pushing the boat out with our blog, our tweets and various podcasts, videos and photos from our time in Edinburgh and you'll be able to find all the latest news and gossip via our homepage.

Can't wait to see you up at the Fringe!

Thanks to Mava for the photo!