Showing @ The Traverse until 9th Oct
Most of us at some point on our journey through life separate fantasy from reality and we’re told this means we’re growing up. Fortunately there are still some out there who can exist in both worlds simultaneously and Hugh Hughes is one such lucky soul.
His three shows at the Traverse which cover simple but universal subjects: death, friendship and community switch between conventional narrative and flight of fancy so quickly there’s no telling where the join is and as long as you are willing to participate – and participate you definitely will in these shows – you can’t help but be caught up in the alluring delusions on display.
Hughes himself is such an engaging and pleasant fellow that even if his tales weren’t engrossing and odd you’d be happy to sit there and watch him digress, as he often does, for many minutes before realising nothing has actually happened.
Of his three shows probably the strongest is Story of a Rabbit which takes the death of a bunny and melds it with the loss of his own father in a strangely woven compelling, surreal and achingly beautiful examination of the uniqueness of death as an experience. The fact that Hughes manages to illicit an emotional response using an Action Man is just one of many impressive feats he pulls off.
His other two shows are both strong, visually interesting and full of wisdom and whimsy but don’t tug quite as much on the heartstrings. Floating, the tale of Anglesey’s detachment from the mainland, travelling to the Arctic and back again is a bizarre but very effective treatise on community. 360, the only piece Hughes does entirely solo, was less stand-up than a shaggy dog story about the wholly recognisable frustrations and joys of long, close friendships.
Hughes is on at the Traverse until the 9th Oct and on the Saturday he will be performing all three of his shows which might well be the best way to appreciate this unique character. Don’t look for any deep conclusions about life but through his blend of stories and fairy stories Hugh Hughes comes up with truths we sometimes tend to forget.