A big hello from the two new faces at Hoipolloi!

The once quiet Hoipolloi office has been somewhat busy of late as Bianca and I joined the team last month. We’ve had a lovely time meeting the rest of the team and bonding with the office yak and the Doubtful Guest. Having joined Hoipolloi from the exotic locations of Nottingham and Toronto, respectively, we have been exploring our new stomping ground here in Cambridge and getting acquainted with the Mill Road Massive. As the new company Administrator, I have spent the last few weeks investigating the deepest darkest depths of the office filing cabinets and Bianca is currently developing a dynamic new online space where Hugh Hughes can share his family’s memories. But more exciting than all of that, we have spent much of our time focusing on the important task of convincing Simon to let us get an office dog. Watch this space people; we think we are winning. Woof Woof! 

The gorgeous pictured dog, Tisbe, is courtesy of Olof Werngren from Flickr under a Creative Commons license.

Your own bit of The Doubtful Guest

Saying goodbye is always tricky, but a bit like spilling tomato sauce on white linen clothing, it is, alas, inevitable.

Here at Hoipolloi we are bidding farewell to some beautiful things, all of which have had their very own moments of fame starring in The Doubtful Guest. So if you have a penchant for the Gothic, are in need of some chairs to seat your derriere on, or want a souvenir from the show then perhaps you might fancy one of these...

Up for grabs we have a stunning French chandelier (held up by yours truly here. In fact I think 'hand/arm modelling' may be my new secret calling), a gorgeous hexagonal hall lamp which is pictured here in action, and another delightful art noveau hall chandelier to fix all of your lighting needs.

If your dining table is missing some chairs then fear not! We can solve your woes. Two classic Thonet Bentwood Bistro chairs are waiting here for you to get your mittens on. Or if all things Edwardian float your boat, then we have a pair of antique Edwardian chairs. If you have more than two bottoms to seat then perhaps our set of six Gothic antique dining room chairs may be just the thing for you.

Not from the show, but still super duper cool, is the small inflatable sofa. Its 70s cover is screaming for you to put your flares on and snuggle up on it with some cheese and pineapple on sticks and a gin and tonic.

And finally we come to the prize item, the one which will be missed by us most of all... it is the Georgian dolls' house. I know it is hard to believe, but we really are going to let it go. We care about it very much, so we'd like it to have a good home where it will be loved dearly.

All of the items are on eBay, or if you have any questions, email us at info@hoipolloi.org.uk

Photo by Geraint Lewis

Hurrah!

Lots of smiles and cause for celebration at Hoipolloi this week. Hugh and Simon are back from Sydney and it is lovely to have company in the office again. Things got so quiet last week that I actually started talking to myself. Never a good sign. I then put the radio on in order to hear some other human voices, but I soon regretted this decision when a song came on that I just had to get up and dance to (I won't tell you which one as it will only unveil my horrendous taste in music). So there I was, prancing around, when I noticed that there was a builder on the roof peeking in the window and laughing at me. Oh the shame.

Anyway, there are plenty of things to be happy about to distract me from the mortifying embarrassment incurred last week...

Item number 1: we have over 1000 followers on Twitter! Considering that we only started tweeting about a year ago, that's a fantastic number. Huge thanks to everyone who has supported us. Please keep following!

Item number 2: Hugh had a brilliant run of 360 in Sydney. The show went extremely well, in fact so well, and the weather was so lovely that Hugh and Simon didn't get a chance to send a report of the trip while they were there. Once they've recovered from the jet lag and readjusted to the arctic UK temperature they will write up their adventures so that you can read all about the festival.

Item number 3: Hugh Hughes' Rough Book is still going strong. We hope you have been enjoying the glimpses into Hugh's studio and the things he creates in there. The Rough Book will be continuing for the next few weeks, with new posts on Mondays and Fridays. I'll also be doing a 'non Rough Book' post on Wednesdays. So keep your eyes on the blog as there'll be plenty of new things springing up.

Item number 4: We are very very excited about going to Oxford and Liverpool in March. We'd love to see you there. You can book tickets for the Oxford show (3rd March) by clicking here, and the Liverpool shows (4th, 5th, 6th March) by clicking here.

And last, but by no means least...(in fact you may say I've saved the best for last)...
Our very own Mr Ben Frimston, who you may have seen recently in The Doubtful Guest or in the famous Rowntree's Randoms advert, or just in the picture above, is on the silver screen again. He's starring in a new Burger King advert. Here it is...

EDIT (14 July 2010): Flicking back through some old blog entries, I've just discovered the video has been taken down from YouTube. Sorry that you've missed seeing Ben in that BK advert, but he's currently appearing in a new Dutch beer advert which you can find here! Simon

Two turtle doves...

There's an obvious focus to today's part of our review of the year... the ridiculously busy month of August plus we manage to squeeze in September too! If you've missed any of the earlier posts, here you can find part one, part two and part three.

AUGUST

Literally masses of fun things happened while we were in Edinburgh.

We had some sell-out performances, some excellent reviews, one really not so good review, The Doubtful Guest was nominated for a Total Theatre Award, 360 won a Three Weeks Editor’s Award, Shon featured in a HUGE interview in The Scotsman and we all saw lots of excellent shows.

Definitely worth a mention is My Name is Sue, which all of the Hoipolloi team saw and enjoyed. Although David definitely deserves the title ‘most obsessed My Name is Sue fan’. I lost count of how many times he went to see it.

It would take yonks to give you a blow by blow account of everything that happened in Edinburgh, so in neat, bullet point form, here is a list of the top anecdotes from the street team:

* One day in the Courtyard I was proposed to by a man. He asked whether I’d marry him if he bought tickets to see ‘360’. I said ‘of course’, willing to do almost anything to make people see 360. The man then produced two tickets, which he had bought earlier. So I guess I’m engaged then.

* Chris flyered someone who seemed quite interested but then said, "Oh, the time doesn't quite work for me. I've got badminton at six."

* A very inebriated punter wandered into the Pleasance Two dressing room, helped himself to NIE's costume rack and came out holding a megaphone and wearing a Russian policeman's hat and a pair of fluffy knickers.

* Chris got picked out of the audience during a show and found himself doing press-ups on stage, with Denise Van Outen standing over him singing 'Let's Get Physical'.

* A friend of David’s drunkenly pointed her finger into a woman's face and shouts, "You're Gillian McKeith!" It is not Gillian McKeith. It is a not-very-famous actress who is extremely offended that my friend didn't know who she was. Actress shouts as David’s friend. Five minutes later, actress goes back to shout at her some more. Five minutes after that we send someone to ask if she knows any good recipes for lentil soup.

* David flyers a couple who seem really interested in the show. "Where is it?", they ask. "Pleasance Two!", David exclaimed and pointed rather over-excitedly behind him, poking a man directly in the face. It was Simon Amstell.

* David flyers a man with two sons. Conversation as follows:

Father: Sounds interesting. Is it suitable for these two?
David: Yes, absolutely.
Father: So there's no tits or fannies in it?
David: Um... no. It's not really that kind of show.
Father: Oh, OK. Because I have two thirteen year old boys with me, so if you'd said there were tits and fannies in it, they'd have probably become a lot more enthusiastic. It sounds good though, maybe we'll come along.
David: Great, see you there.
Son 1: Dad, when are we meeting Mum and the knobs?
Father: They're not 'knobs', they're your younger siblings.

And if all that weren't enough, here's a fantastic little snippet of Hugh Hughes' pre-show warm-up routine...




SEPTEMBER

September saw the first ever ‘What’s in a Name?’ award for the best show titles listed on the CVs of actors who have sent their details to us at Hoipolloi.

The nominees were:

* Daisy and the washing up gloves
* The Christmas Chimney Pot Plot
* This is a Chair
* Incest and plastic surgery
* Captain Cholesterol and the Grannies from Mars
* Princess Plimsole
* Seasonal Sauce
* Cowardly Custard
* Quidditch Adventure
* Wot No Condoms!
* The Uggs
* Orgasm: the musical
* Scandalous! The musical
* The Lazy Ant
* Mission Possible
* The Pumpkin Eater.

Posted by Marieke Audsley (Marketing & Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi). Thanks to paparutzi for the photo

Three French Hens...

We're really storming through the year now! If you've just arrived at the party, we're reviewing the year and here you can find part one and part two.

JUNE

Hugh and Aled returned to the UK after their American tour. It was officially a smash hit with more lovely comments: one review, on the Charleston City Paper's Spoleto Buzz Blog, began with these words:"Hugh Hughes made me cry. It's a good thing".

The same blog also named Story of a Rabbit the best show at the festival, calling it "pitch-perfect theater". The Lantern said: "some in the audience were left with tears in their eyes, while others had smiles on their faces". The best comment though has to be in a review in the Charleston SC newspaper which urged people to go and see Story of a Rabbit with a wonderfully Hugh-ish call to arms: "embrace it, and remember that Life IS spectacular!"

Not quite everyone agreed though, and critic Tim Page got a bit of an ear-bashing from audience members who disagreed with his not so charming review of the show!

When one tour ends, there’s always the risk that there will be an empty hole left, and a sad cry for more performances. Fortunately June wasn’t just the end of the USA tour but also the month when it was announced that Hoipolloi would be taking not one, but TWO shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This is one of my favourite of David’s blogs, mainly because of the insanely cute picture of a cat in a bag.

As if things couldn’t get more exciting than the Edinburgh announcement and the cat photo, June also revealed that The Scotsman listed both The Doubtful Guest and 360 in its Top 100 shows to see at the Fringe feature.

JULY

Of course July was mainly focused on gearing up for Edinburgh, but one of the fold, Ben Frimston, was busy being a television star… Ben has performed in Hoipolloi’s last five ensemble shows, but somehow managed to find time to appear in a Rowntree’s Randoms advert.



And if that video wasn't enough, David made his video debut with Simon as they selected the winners of our little competition for Edinburgh tickets...



Other highlights of the month included the arrival of the 360 badges and Hugh’s performance at Latitude.

Posted by Marieke Audsley (Marketing & Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi). Thanks to LizJones112 for the photo

Sunset

In the last few days my limbs have turned to jelly, my voice has dropped two octaves and gone croaky like Yoda and if I walk over anymore Edinburgh cobbles my feet will start screaming and frogmarch me back onto proper pavements.

But I refer you once again to my patented definition of Festival Fatigue to stress that whilst my body is wrecked, my mood remains indefatigably good. As much as I'm looking forward to going to bed for a week once I'm home, I'm sure I'll be missing the festival before too long.

At the Total Theatre Awards ceremony the other day, one of the speakers pointed out something obvious but very important. Every one of us knows what an endurance contest the Edinburgh Festival is, we know we're signing up to an utterly exhausting month and yet we troop back, year after year. It's pretty special.

*

Today is my last day working for Hoipolloi, for now. I am refusing to articulate this fact with any degree of finality, as I feel sure that I'll stay in touch with everyone at the company and work with them again before too long, in some capacity or another.

I have an anecdote which I've found myself referring to a lot whilst working for the company, or when I explain to people what Hoipolloi means to me. This feels like a good time to share it with the wider world.

In 2007 I visited the Edinburgh Fringe and saw Hugh Hughes in Story of a Rabbit. (I was already a Hoipolloi fan, having seen Floating and My Uncle Arly on previous tours.) That hour in Pleasance Two remains one of the most unforgettable experiences I've ever had at the theatre. Like so many who've seen the show, I laughed and I cried. And I cried and I cried and I cried.

When I left the theatre and shook hands with Hugh, I wanted to tell him that he'd completely altered my perspective on theatre. Sadly I couldn't because I was still crying and also feeling a bit embarassed because I was covered in tears and snot. My equally snot-covered friend Hannah and I staggered into the sunlight and sat down with a drink to calm our nerves. We continued crying for at least 20 minutes, during which time a number of people tried to flyer us for shows, only to find two weeping individuals, sobbing into pints.

Less than twelve months later I was at the National Theatre Studio working on Hugh Hughes' future production Invisible Town. About 18 months later I was creating 360 with Hugh, for which I'm now credited as an Artistic Collaborator. If you'd tapped me on the shoulder, as I sat at that table crying, and told me that I'd be working with Hugh within a year, I'm sure I wouldn't have believed you.

I probably don't need to say (and wouldn't be able to find the words anyway) how much those experiences have meant to me.

As well as loving every minute I've spent with the creative team at Hoipolloi, I need to say a huge thank you to Simon my 'boss' for the year and a wonderful mentor. And we're all bidding a fond farewell to Louise Coles who has been Hoipolloi's Administrative Director for the past five years. Louise boarded a plane for Perth two days ago. She's returning to her native Australia after several decades away, to run Perth's Blue Room. We all wish her the best of luck!

So here's to Hoipolloi, to Louise, to Edinburgh and to what is sure to be a fun-tastic final performance of 360 tonight. Hugh's been hinting that he has something special planned. I dread to think...

Hugh Hughes wins an award!

Hooray! That makes it three Edinburgh Festivals in a row at which Hugh has been awarded something. This morning Hugh was presented with a Three Weeks Editor's Award for 360 and the Three Weeks team had some very kind words to say about the show.

Meanwhile, The Doubtful Guest didn't win at the Total Theatre Award ceremony on Friday but My Name Is Sue did! (This is the show I've seen four times and have been hype-ing on the blog for weeks.) Simon Tweeted the whole thing minute-by-minute, so if you'd like to re-live the experience check out the Tweet Stream.

It was also great to see Improbable presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Phelim McDermott, one of Improbable's Artistic Directors, gave our Artistic Director Shon some mentoring back in the day, and they're a company Shon has always looked up to.

Two more performances of 360 and one Doubtful Guest to go. The Festival Fatigue is taking its toll and I'm looking forward to collapsing into bed for a very long time.

However, the other day I found a temporary cure for Festival Fatigue. I ignored the fact that I felt run down, supressed the suspicion I was getting a temperature, refused to have an early night and went clubbing instead. And WOW did I feel better for it. (Look, I had to resort to capital letters to express how much fun I had.)

Until you've seen DJ Yoda on the decks, you cannot comprehend the restorative, healing powers of old-school eighties hip-hip combined with general Yoda silliness which peaked with a bagpipe/hip-hop mash-up. London Elektricity and Scratch Perverts weren't bad either. Woo.

A fantastic review from The Scotsman

Ok, so that's not strictly the truth. We got a 2 star review from The Scotsman for The Doubtful Guest. But bizarrely, it's made me very happy. In fact, it's given me so much energy that I've forgotten about my aching back*

The review can be found in full here. You'll need to skip through the first half to find the bit about us (unless you want to read about Inspector Sands's If That's All There Is).

I'll also share my favourite line of the review with you:
"The idea that this sort of middlebrow tosh has any serious role in the future of theatre is ridiculous and ought to be knocked on the head, right now."

Reviews are a funny thing. It's always a delight to receive praise for the shows you work on and often it's hard to swallow the negative comments.

But The Doubtful Guest seems to be one of those shows that divides it's audiences (as a look through the reviews on EdFringe website will demonstrate) and I'm pleased that we're causing strong reviews amongst people who see the work.

I'd like to thank Joyce MacMillan for her words. That final sentiment she expressed will be something that inspires me to work against it for many years to come (I'm looking forward to enlarging it and sticking it over my desk).

I personally think Joyce is wrong (but that's my job) and I know many of you do too. And if you've not seen the show already, why not book some tickets and make up your own mind.

Oh, and thank you to @cmfwood for her head's up that Joyce didn't enjoy the show. I've never seen a reviewer being reviewed, whilst reviewing the show. But having read...

"Just sat through Joyce MacMillan sighing and tutting all the way through The Doubtful Guest"

I've been prepared for this news for a week now!

And finally, I met someone yesterday who personally requested a new video from the double act that is David and I (see this video for our earlier work!). We haven't made one for ages so watch this space!

*I slipped over in the bath on Saturday morning and after a 2 hour stint at Casualty, I was discharged with a very sore back (although no broken bones). I ran out of painkillers this morning but Joyce's review has certainly kept me smiling and happy all day.

Tales from the streets (in which I poke Simon Amstell in the face)

Sorry it's been a bit quiet on the blog over the last few few days. We're having a great time but the Festival Fatigue is kicking in...


festival fatigue n.
Combination of exhilaration and exhaustion, induced by little sleep and much excitement. Can be a product of working too hard or partying too hard or partying too hard once you've finally finished work for the day. Not to be confused with 'fatigue' which is generally a bad thing. Symptoms of festival fatigue include facial contortions caused by smiling and yawning at the same time.


In the meantime we're (still) flyering hard and I have some amusing moments to share.

Top three 'Street Team' anecdotes:

1) I'm flyering a couple who seem really interested in the show. 'Where is it?', they ask. 'Pleasance Two!', I exclaim and point rather over-excitedly behind me, poking a man directly in the face. It is Simon Amstell. (He's quite nice, if mildly sarcastic about the whole thing.)

2) I'm flyering two teenagers who seem moderately interested in the show. At one point they interrupt me to point out that it's my job to sound enthusiastic so they don't believe anything I say. I start gushing about how great I really do think Hugh Hughes is and they interrupt me again to tell me I sound sycophantic.

3) I'm flyering a man with two sons. Conversation as follows:

Father: Sounds interesting. Is it suitable for these two?
Me: Yes, absolutely.
Father: So there's no tits or fannies in it?
Me: Um... no. It's not really that kind of show.
Father: Oh, OK. Because I have two thirteen year old boys with me, so if you'd said there were tits and fannies in it, they'd have probably become a lot more enthusiastic. It sounds good though, maybe we'll come along.
Me: Great, see you there.
Son 1: Dad, when are we meeting Mum and the knobs?
Father: They're not 'knobs', they're your younger siblings.

The Doubtful Guest nominated for a Total Theatre Award

I'm delighted to report that The Doubtful Guest has been nominated for a Total Theatre Award! The show's going extremely well with sell-out performances and happy audiences. It runs at Traverse until 30 August, click here to book tickets.

Congratulations also to the teams behind My Name Is Sue and 6.0 How Heap and Pebble Took on the World and Won, both of which have also been nominated. They were two of my favourite shows of the festival so far and I've mentioned them both on this blog before. Richly deserved, well done!

Hugh Hughes in... 360 was also 'Longlisted' for a Total Theatre Award. I honestly have no idea what this means but we'll take it as a compliment! Click here to book your tickets for 360.

Daydd James, who co-wrote and performs in My Name is Sue gave us a lovely compliment yesterday: "Hugh Hughes is the best show to exit-flyer because the audiences always come out so open and happy!" And at last night's performance, a man arrived wearing is 'Making Connections' badge from Floating. A true fan.

The Doubtful Guest makes itself at home

The Doubtful Guest ran riot through the Traverse Theatre this morning during a sold-out first performance of the show. Banging and clattering away, the inimitable Guest has taken up residence at the theatre and can be found there for a further eleven performances!

After a hectic get-in yesterday, this morning's show went extremely well. And with their preview performance under their belt, the cast are looking forward to having lots of fun with the production over the next two weeks. Click here to see show times and to book tickets.

I found this the other day whilst trawling through cyberspace. It's a lovely illustration by Edward Gorey, author of The Doubtful Guest: have a look.

I also saw the Tiger Lillies last night. The Tiger Lillies ('the world's foremost Death Oompah Band') were in contact with Gorey just before he died and he gave them a box of unpublished manuscripts and drawings, which inspired their concept album The Gorey End. They're great fun live and you can catch their show at Pleasance Above at 9.40 every night. Highly recommended.

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!

Hoipolloi's Big weekend

Hugh played to a sold out house last night (boosted by four stars and a great write-up in the FT) and numbers are looking strong for tonight too. It's lovely to see the Pleasance Courtyard looking nice and full and to be out and about talking to people about the show.

360 has settled into place beautifully and there were some lovely moments during last week's performances. My favourite was when Hugh invited the audience to sing Happy Birthday to a woman who'd told him on her way in that she was turning 22. Hugh then remembered that there's a piano stored behind the curtain at the back of the stage, and dragged it out before recruiting another audience member to play along. He made me giggle when he stopped everyone just before we were about to start, to say, "Hang on a minute, does everyone know the tune?"

We had a celebrity visit from Daniel Kitson, who'd seen Hugh's work before and enjoyed 360 too. (I would recommend and link to his show as a courtesy but he sold out so long ago that there's really no point.)

I finally saw My Name Is Sue last week, having had it recommended to me by everyone I met. And I enjoyed it so much I went back the next night! Wonderful character comedy and songs: deranged and exhilarating in equal measure. The only show that will have you leaving the theatre singing, "We're all going to die" whilst feeling ten times happier than when you came in!

GO AND SEE MY NAME IS SUE AT PLEASANCE TWO AT 9.45PM
(I don't use capital letters lightly)

And whilst you're at it, click here to book tickets for Hugh Hughes in... 360 and click here to book tickets for The Doubtful Guest. I'm going to leave with you a video trailer which should seal the deal...

Four stars and a full house

A sell-out show, four stars from Chortle and a couple of radio interviews for good measure... yesterday was a busy day for Hugh Hughes. And I think he gave his best performance of 360 yet.

The day started in the Fresh Air FM studio, where Hugh was joined by Hoipolloi's Artistic Director Shon Dale-Jones. Click here to listen again to Shon discussing Hoipolloi's fifteenth anniversary and The Doubtful Guest's upcoming run at Traverse. And click here for Hugh, who talks about 360 before sharing some anecdotes about life on Anglesey and growing up with Gareth.

We had a boost mid-afternoon when we heard on the grapevine that Chortle had published a review. After a mad scramble to find a laptop and some wi-fi, it was high-fives all round as we read the glowing review! Steve Bennett described 360 as "life-affirming" and "guaranteed to put a spring into your step", giving it four stars. Click here to read the full review.

By the time the doors to Pleasance Two opened at seven o'clock, there wasn't a single ticket left. We're delighted that the show is proving so popular, so early in the festival. And Hugh himself is over the moon, as pleased as ever to be talking to audiences before and after the show, greeting people who've seen his previous shows and making friends with newcomers.

With no rest for the wicked, Hugh only had time for a quick drink after the show before he jumped in a taxi and made his way to the Leith FM studio to round off the day with another interview. We both got a bit baffled, as the taxi dropped us off miles from where we were supposed to be. But we got there just in time!

Hugh will be onstage again at 7.05pm tonight at Pleasance Two. Click here to book your tickets. If last night's anything to go by, you'd better get in fast!

I'm already looking forward to my Hugh Hughes pick-me-up tonight. I saw Simon Stephens' new play Sea Wall at the ungodly hour of 9.45am and I couldn't have hoped for a more poetically desolate start to the day. I'm in the Traverse bar at the moment trying to collect myself but not having much luck so far. Catch it if you can but not until you've booked for 360 AND The Doubtful Guest!

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.

We've arrived!

I'm relaxing in the Traverse Bar at the moment. It's terribly civilized and I'm admiring several Doubtful Guest posters adorning the walls.

But this afternoon all attention will turn to Hugh Hughes' brand new show 360. Tonight is our first Edinburgh performance and in a moment I'll be heading for the scrum of Pleasance Courtyard for my first bout of flyering!

The show is on at Pleasance Two at 7.05pm... hope to see lots of you there!

Throughout the festival, we'll be Blogging EVERY day and tweeting more often than you can imagine, so keep your eyes peeled and keep in touch.

Here's to Edinburgh 2009...

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!

No problem, monkey socks

Obviously we're not paying our actors enough! Ben Frimston, who has performed in Hoipolloi's last five ensemble shows, most recently playing Charlie in The Doubtful Guest, has burst onto our TV screens with a starring role in a Rowntree's Randoms advert. And a very fine performance it is too.

We like to think he learned everything he knows about nonsense whilst performing in My Uncle Arly. And I'd like to take this opportunity to warn him that we'll be calling him 'Monkey Socks' forever more.

Tragically, our Doubtful Guest posters and flyers had been printed by the time the ad came out. Had we been able to include 'Starring Ben Frimston, Star of the Rowntree's Randoms advert' it would have sent our ticket sales through the roof.

But you can still see him for yourself in The Doubtful Guest at the Traverse from 18 to 30 August (with no performance on the 24th; click here for full performance details and to book.)

Of course, we wouldn't normally use the blog to carry adverts. But for Ben, we'll make an exception. Enjoy!

And if you're off to Latitude this weekend, come and find us with Hugh Hughes in the Theatre Tent on Sunday at 12.10pm...

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!

Hitting the Top 100

Good morning on this sunny Saturday. It's a particularly exciting morning as I've discovered that the Scotsman's Top 100 shows at the Fringe includes BOTH Hugh Hughes in... 360 and The Doubtful Guest.

This is fantastic news and makes a great start to the weekend. The Scotsman is such an important paper during the Fringe and I'm excited that out of 2098 shows to choose from, they've picked both of ours to make their list of safe bets to book for!

You can read the full list for yourself by clicking here (Hugh Hughes is near the top, the Doubtful Guest is near the bottom!).

Or, if you just want to go ahead and book your tickets, click here for Hugh Hughes and click here for The Doubtful Guest.

Finally, for some vaguely interesting blog/tweet trivia!

I've just realised that my 200th Hoipolloi tweet was all about making the top 100. Funny how numbers stack up like this! And having just looked back at things, my 100th tweet was a link to a video diary for Shift Happens which takes place on Monday and Tuesday this coming week. Bizarre!