Low Down
A down-to-earth, funny and moving account of two stories illustrated with a variety of props, diagrams, movement snippets and a photos.
Review
The Pleasance 2 is a venue of character very suited to the show, with a raked auditorium of long benches facing a stage framed on one side by some old concrete steps. When we enter the theatre, Hugh Hughes is greeting each and every one of us at the door, thanking us for coming with his cheeky smile. A variety of simple and often intriguing objects are placed around the stage: a ladder, a cardboard box, a tyre, a simple model of a street, a telephone, a sawdust rabbit, an action man in a glass box... And set stage right, surrounded by various musical instruments, a keyboard, a mixing desk and a lighting desk, is Hugh’s friend Aled. He’s not shy, just quiet. He’s here to do the music, the lights, and the projections.
We begin with some explanations, some introductions, and a cup of tea for one lucky person – Hugh has been doing a lot of research on tea, and around the time that people die in this country, a lot of tea is drunk. He tells us that during the show, he will be using dance and movement to express himself. We laugh. A lot. His personality is open, honest, down-to-earth, frank and funny. We know we’re getting the real Hugh, it takes a while for the show to start, but the audience love it. Latecomers are greeted and welcomed; we talk to each other and find out where we’re from.
The show is about death. It’s the story of a rabbit, and the story of a father. Throughout the course of the evening, we travel with Hugh through these two stories, which merge and overlap, are interrupted for explanations of concepts related, and sometimes unrelated. Hugh meets his neighbour’s rabbit. It looks at him like he’s never been looked at by a rabbit before. He finds his way to the train station, and asks for a ticket to his father’s funeral. Aled, provides a beautiful soundtrack, interspersed with a comical song or two.
Hugh’s delivery is at times poignant, and at times matter of fact, as he explains about sightlines and the brand of remote control he’s using to change the pages on the power point projection. After his father’s funeral, by the time Hugh passes through Birmingham on the train, his father’s soul, as calculated by a 6 degree ascent, is flying over Moscow. Then someone has another cup of tea.
Hugh Hughes is the ultimate in the most human multi-media. He’s the shepherd’s pie of my Edinburgh – wholesome, hearty, down-to-earth and above all: good for you.
Reviewed by Jade Blue 23 August 2007
Website :
www.hoipolloi.org.uk
