Séances, celebrity ashes and rude spirits collide in Lost Hippo’s brilliantly bonkers comedy hit
You never really know what to expect when you go to a Fringe show. We try not to read any advance reviews because we find we build a picture up in our heads and then we’re inevitably disappointed. And, as we’ve said before, part of the joy of the Fringe is just happening upon a stonker of a little-known show and leaving with the same glee you get when you find money in an item of clothing you haven’t worn since pre-Covid.
Long preamble over, we’d heard quite a lot about Lost Hippo’s Guess Boo before heading to the first night of their three-show run. It won the Audience Choice Award for Best Show last year and we’ve been to their seriously crazy disco nights before (a mash-up of cabaret, comedy and immersive theatre), so expected we were in for a (very) good time.
But we tried not to get too over-excited as that’s generally the path towards disappointment. Reader, you’ll be delighted to hear we were anything but disappointed. This show deserves all its must-see accolades and more.
Guess Boo: The Mystery of my Nan’s Ashes is a very clever loose spin on that old childhood favourite Guess Who (you even get a lovingly handcrafted board to play along with). If that game were a completely bonkers seance-comedy mash-up, that is.
It’s a brilliantly surreal set-up: our host is medium Mystic Smeg; they’ve lost their nan, who had a lot of celebrity clients. Somehow, one of these clients’ ashes ended up in an urn that Smeg swiftly purloined after their nan went to the other side. But whose ashes could it be? It’s a ridiculous concept, but one that Smeg executes so brilliantly you buy into it within minutes.
Rather than the normal gameplay of getting yes-no answers to tedious questions like ‘do they wear glasses’, it’s the spirits that give the clues to working out which of the 24 celebs’ remains are sitting in that pot. The spirits commune with (very willing) audience members helping ‘channel’ the – joyously rude – spirits to get clues to decipher the mystery.
We don’t want to say too much because part of the joy of this show lies in the unexpected, with surprises lurking around every corner, and beneath every oversized Primark sheet (sorry, spiritual covering), pink ukulele and questionable cleaning method.
It’s a fast-paced and gloriously silly rollercoaster ride of comedy, camp and filth – and a fascinating insight into performer and creator Tom Hooker’s clever mind.
Go see this show. And then go see it again – we are.
Fri 8th and Sat 9th May; from £10
brightonfringe.org
