大象传媒

The character of Hugh Hughes is an intriguing one, and one which I instantly warmed to when he launched the 2007 Pulse Festival to the press.

For one reason or another I couldn't make the initial run of Story of a Rabbit, which toured the country following Pulse and picked up a Fringe First Award at Edinburgh, so I was pleased to hear of its return.

The play focuses on Hugh's memory of two deaths - that of his father in 2001 and, as the title suggests, a rabbit he was looking after for a neighbour six years earlier.

Half of the time is spent with flashbacks to these two events and how they relate to one another. But much of the 80 minute duration looks at broader concepts, such as what memories are and questioning what we know about the unknown.

Hugh is joined on stage by his friend Aled, who provides music as well as controlling several aspects of what is referred to as a "multimedia show" - with several projectors beaming different images on to the rear wall.

Items reflecting memories of Hugh's past are scattered around the stage and hang on string from the ceiling. These are referenced in Hugh's narrative and some, such as the Action Man display case or toy ladder, are used to great comical effect and offer a more imaginative visualisation than a simple reenactment would.

Hugh's the man?

But the technical wizardry and charm offered by back to basics delivery such as the use of a flip chart means little if you don't warm to the larger than life character of Hugh.

Hugh is quirky to the extreme. His mannerisms, naive look on life and banter with the audience is also slightly childlike. He questions everything he sees and hands his imagination a free rein.

Two minutes into the show and I heard a loud groan of disapproval. I turned to see a man with a severe looking frown and his arms folded. Hugh was still at the getting to know the audience stage of the show - offering one lucky member a cup of tea.

My wife at least saved her judgment to the end, but afterwards described Hugh as being "annoying and childish". She didn't like the music either.

Hugh using the medium of dance

Imagining how many pieces of potato are in a big potato and how big the world would be if potatoes were millions of times larger than they are now didn't seem to go down well with her.

I found Hugh to be a likeable character with an endearing on stage presence. I was interested in his philosophy and enjoyed spending time in his world.

Yet I found that his meandering delivery could do with some trimming down and perhaps some external direction.

There were a couple of laugh out loud moments, and several quieter sniggers, and when the story stuck to its narrative it was easy to get sucked into the 1995 or 2001 setting.

But then Hugh would stop in his tracks, thank Aled for his help, tell the audience who made his laptop or some other distraction and suddenly the flow was lost.

Story of a Rabbit continued in this stop-start process and I felt it suffered as a result. The climax mirrored the momentum gained by the all-singing, all-dancing opening statement that Life/Death is spectacular but instead of providing a fitting ending it seemed slightly out of place - and indeed pace.

I hope Hugh gets over the heartache of losing his father and returns to a stage nearby soon. He's fun to be with and has the potential to produce something truly memorable.