Hugh speaks... travelling to Edinburgh

Hello! I am very happy to write this blog. We have embarked on a short tour of STORY OF A RABBIT in the UK, five months after our tour in the USA. It is really good to be performing this show again. I really do enjoy it. Aled said, "it’s like visiting an old friend."

We'd like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has joined us so far – in Eastleigh and Cambridge - and to say we are very much looking forward to meeting our audience in Edinburgh, Leicester and Plymouth later this month.

Right now I’m travelling to Edinburgh by train. My favourite kind of transport. We’ve been through gentle rising fog and blinding bursts of sunshine. It’s remarkable to think how this ball of a planet is enveloped in so many weathers. My brother once left a leather football in the garden throughout the whole winter – when my father found it in the spring, it was deflated, sagging and discoloured. "Luckily this planet is not made of leather," Aled said and we all laughed and then imagined we were part of a giant’s game of football in Brazil. Then Tom said, "In a way, Pele is a giant."

I haven’t been to Edinburgh outside of festival time. Neither has Aled. "It’ll be the same but different," he said. "It’ll be wearing it’s winter coat," he said as he looked out of the window at Newcastle. "While Sydney is putting it’s shorts on, Edinburgh is pulling on a thick jumper," said Tom. Then he said, "I wonder if we could knit a giant jumper for Pele and present it to him as a gift at the next World Cup. A nice golden yellow one trimmed with green." Aled said we probably could but he’d be unlikely to wear it because the World Cup was taking place in South Africa and it’d be too hot.

As we get ever closer to Edinburgh I’d like to use this opportunity to say another "thank you’ to the Sydney Festival for inviting me to present 360 in January. I’m really looking forward to it.
Goodbye for now.

Hugh Hughes

[I found this lovely photo on Flickr by laurencea taken during a London to Edinburgh train journey. I'm guessing it was during the snow we had in January this year. Thought it illustrated Hugh's blog nicely. Simon]

[pps. we've just had this lovely review come in for Story of a Rabbit]

Hugh learns to Tweet and is off down under... again!

With Story of a Rabbit out on tour, there's plenty going on at the moment. And we have lots of exciting news to report as well!

First up, for those of you who follow us on Twitter, you'll have noticed that in the last 24hours a brand new voice has been joining in the conversation, our very own Hugh Hughes.

Now that he's the (very) proud owner of an iPhone (other phones are available), I've taught Hugh how it all works and he spent his journey up to Edinburgh today sharing his thoughts on the world around him.

As there will now be multiple voices sharing the Hoipolloi account, we'll try and reduce confusion by signing off each tweet with who we are! Hugh's been busy doing that today and from now onwards, I'll be adding 'SB' to the end of my tweets so you can tell whose voice is whose!

I've also taught Hugh the simplicity of audioboo and he's promised to make a least one boo during his time at the Traverse this week. I'll repost it here when he does.

Which reminds me to plug this week's performances of Story of a Rabbit. Hugh and Aled are at the Traverse from tonight (11th) until Saturday (14 Nov). Tickets can be booked by calling 0131 228 1404 or via their website.

Perhaps our most exciting news is that Hugh will be returning to Australia to perform 360 as part of the presitigous Sydney Festival from 22 to 30 January 2010.

A copy of the brochure landed in the office this morning and we'll be joined by some illustrious company from the UK... Edinburgh Comedy Award-winner Tim Key, Isy Suttie (from Peep Show), a charming family show from Oxford Playhouse and Rupert Goold's acclaimed Six Characters in Search of an Author.

I've heard via Twitter that tickets are already flying out the door for Hugh's limited season (just 8 perfs) so if you're in Sydney or know someone there who should go, get them to the box office swiftly!

Details of how to book and the full festival programme can be found by clicking here.

And my final plea, if you've been to see Story of a Rabbit, why not share your thoughts by commenting here on the blog, visiting our Facebook groups (Hoipolloi or Hugh Hughes) or via the delights of a tweet. Thank you!

Posted by Simon Bedford (Producer, Hoipolloi)

Have your say...

Have you just seen Story of a Rabbit? Why not get in touch and let us know what you thought. There are a whole host of ways to engage with what we're up to!

Someone who saw the show last night in Eastleigh messaged us via Twitter to say "Hugh Hughes was wonderful (as always)... He makes me laugh and cry at exactly the same time!".

Just add @hellohoipolloi into your tweets and we'll spot them (or in fact, just mentioning Hugh Hughes often catches our eye!).

If you're not a fan of Twitter, why not comment on this blog with your thoughts or head to our Facebook pages - here is Hugh's and here is Hoipolloi's.

Someone wrote this on our wall earlier...

"Saw "Story of a Rabbit" at Eastleigh Theatre last night. Hugh Hughes is a highly original and talented performer. The show was genius - comic, reflective, moving, evolved and original. Thanks Hugh"

Or you can send us a slightly old-fashioned email if you'd like! Just drop a note to info@hoipolloi.org.uk and it'll make it's way through to us.

Finally, if you'd like to get a little closer and receive regular email updates from us, you can sign up to the mailing list here.

Daniel Kitson recommends Story of a Rabbit

We've been a little quiet on the blog front recently but we've suddenly sprung into action with two posts already this week, and here's a third for you! I hadn't planned this one but a pleasant surprise arrived in my inbox this morning and I wanted to share it with you!

The Hoipolloi office has long been a fan of Mr Daniel Kitson and his fabulous work both in stand-up and his story-telling shows.

We also know that Daniel has popped in to see a couple of Hugh Hughes' shows during the last couple of Edinburgh Fringes and we're really grateful that he shared the following paragraph with his email list this week...

"...also, here is a little tip for you good people of edinburgh and the surrounding regions, Story of a Rabbit, a lovely show that i saw during the festival of 2008 is at the traverse theatre for 4 nights in november, i think its the 11th to the 14th, but im typing this on a train and the internet connection isnt great. i mean, its still pretty good, considering im on a bloody train. still. its all relative. anyway, i very strongly recommend seeing it. it was something of an influence on my more recent stuff and its brilliant. funny and sad and lovely."

Thank you for such an exciting recommendation. I know that Hugh was touched to find out that the show provided some influence on your work. And a reminder that we're not just playing in Edinburgh (at the Traverse) but also at the Point in Eastleigh, Cambridge Arts Theatre and the CURVE in Leicester. Full details here!

And as it'd be rude not to return the favour, if you haven't seen a Daniel Kitson show, go see one, immediately!

Following this link will take you (eventually if you keep scrolling down) to a list of where he's playing his stand-up show in November in the UK (if they haven't already sold-out). And also, as I know we have Australian visitors here, you can also catch him at Sydney Opera House from the end of November into December with 66a Church Road.

Some recommendations

Yesterday afternoon I found myself with a glass of mulled wine in hand and stood watching the gentle falling of snowflakes through the air. But I wasn't going mad, nor had I drifted into Narnia.

I was in fact at The Junction, here in Cambridge, for the launch of their Christmas offering, appropriately titled, A Merry Little Christmas. It's actually being created by the lovely folk at Gomito, another Cambridge-based company.

They've always been very supportive of our activities here at Hoipolloi and I was delighted to finally make it to one of their other shows before the launch. If you have kids (or even if you don't!) look out for The Night Keeper, which is touring to a few places before mid-November. I thought it was wonderfully enchanting!

Finally, next week's a busy week for interesting and exciting theatre here in Cambridge. Not only will Story of a Rabbit be calling into the Arts Theatre (have you booked your tickets yet?), but Told by An Idiot will be stopping by The Junction with their new show, The Fahrenheit Twins.

Adapted from Michel Faber's original tale, it's an enthralling story of two siblings living with their parents on a remote artic exploration station. Lyn Gardner at the Guardian gave it 4stars so it comes highly recommended.

Finally finally, don't forget we've added an extra Hoipolloi Master Class in as the first sold-out! It'll be at The Junction on Sunday 13 December from 12noon to 7pm. Places cost £35 and are available from 01223 511511 (as indeed are tickets for A Merry Little Christmas and The Fahrenheit Twins).