Reviews

tv – BBC Film

Pippa Hinchley and Anthony Andrews are the two characters in … a post-nuclear holocaust drama about the relationship between Ann, a 16 year old farmer’s daughter and John, a scientist … the play marks a notable television debut for the appealing 17 year old Miss Hinchley

The Times

Pippa Hinchley, herself only 17, made such a wonderful job of Ann, so innocent, so strong. Andrews as Loomis was perfect too. I pitied and feared this destroyed human.

Daily Express

None of which is to deny the resourceful, carefully toned direction of Mr Garner, the spiky unease of Anthony Andrews’s John and the natural freshness of Pippa Hinchley’s Ann. The story could have been told in 30mins, I was gripped for 2 hours.

Daily Mail

…the debut of Pippa Hinchley, a 17-year-old schoolgirl who plays farmer’s daughter Ann with a lovely mixture of knowing practicality and sensual innocence.

Sunday Telegraph

Andrews, voted best TV actor for Brideshead Revisited, said of Pippa: “She is just out of this world. Absolutely incredible. I have never seen such a natural actress.” Pippa, 17, left her A-level courses after beating 700 hopefuls to get her part.

Daily Express

Pippa Hinchley is Andrews’ brilliant young co-star

Sally Payne, Time Out

Pippa Hinchley makes a quite stunning TV Debut.

Daily Telegraph

theatre – Library Theatre Manchester

Jennie’s wise-cracking best friend Faye, a staple rom-com character, is played with real charm by Pippa Hinchley.

Glenn Meads, www.whatsonstage.com

A great comic performance from Pippa Hinchley as Faye.

The Stage

theatre – Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough

Alan Ayckbourn’s latest play is all about comedy … A once big time film producer Chandler Tate (an immaculate performance by Keith Bartlett) finds himself directing futuristic daytime television soaps. Ayckbourn has created a superbly satirical word for the characters – Actoids – actors manipulated by an electric switchboard … Great performances from Helen Pearson, Jennifer Luckraft and Pippa Hinchley.

David Jeffels, The Stage

theatre – Chichester Festival Theatre

Pippa Hinchley is a dream as Lisa.

The Telegraph

theatre – Salisbury

The performances are point perfect … Pippa Hinchley is a heart-breakingly convincing Brenda.

Wiltshire Reporter

theatre – Soho Theatre – Edinburgh

5 stars = kill for a ticket!

Three Weeks

Cosmic Alan Bennett meets Marion and Geoff

Alfie Joey

theatre – Salisbury

Ben Fox’s energetic panic as Garry, Pippa Hinchley’s injection of humour into the glamour girl, Brooke, and John Webber as the much put-upon carpenter also add to the hilarity.

The Independent

theatre – Scarborough

The play, although uneven in places, is mostly a witty delight with some sublimely written scenes – notably the interludes by other guests. Through them, Gurney pokes fun at American life from elderly sun-seekers to computer nerds and gay chic, while still telling a touching tale. If there is a fault, it’s the fact these interludes – superbly portrayed by Pippa Hinchley and Bill Champion, each playing five different party guests – almost steal the show.

Evening News

theatre – Scarborough

But it is Pat’s unisex name which is the focus of much of the plays hilarity. And back home Dennis’ wife fails to suspect anything until Pat – a great performance by Pippa Hinchley, a natural comedienne- arrives on the doorstep.

Scarborough Evening News

theatre – Scarborough

It is an extremely intense piece though and full credit must go to Pippa Hinchley and James Hornsby for holding the attention so completely … Haunting, thoughtful and poignant, Contacting Laura is an accomplished and moving play which will not disappoint its audience.

Scarborough Evening News

theatre – West End

Hall could take a few tips from Pippa Hinchley, the English actress who plays young waitress, Elma. Elma is Inge’s version of the love that knows all and forgives – she sees off the lecherous drunken professor with a big smile and the assurance that he is the most interesting person she has ever met – but she is a real person too, and, despite incarnating perfect goodness is pretty interesting herself. Hinchley’s portrayal avoids the trap of over earnestness to be thoroughly endearing, and her accent though more Connecticut then Kansas is as authentically American as the rest of the cast.

Scarborough Evening News

…there emerged a bright new shining star- Pippa Hinchley, a 23 year old actress, who plays café waitress Elma Duckworth, acted the rest of them off the stage. Definitely one to watch for in the future.

Marion Davies, The Times

The best acting is around the edges of the stage … Pippa Hinchley a willing diner waitress Juliet to Lyman’s unlikely Romeo, made the wet-behind-the-ears Elma Duckworth touching.

Financial Times

I particularly liked Pippa Hinchley as Grace’s bar-girl Elma, gazing in awe at the shimmering Cherie, and the excellent David Healy as the dubious Dr Lyman, presumably a portrait of the author.

Sunday Correspondent

Pippa Hinchley is a delightfully bubbly barmaid, Elma. She handles Doc Lyman’s tired middle aged Casanova routine with the natural instinct of a healthy country girl.

The Guardian

Pippa Hinchley is appealing as the teenage waitress waiting to go to college and impressed by Lyman’s avuncular manner and literary knowledge.

The Independent

theatre – Liverpool Playhouse

Pippa Hinchley’s exact parody shows her to be a gifted comedienne.

The Guardian

theatre – London Fringe

Lusty leather-clad Scorpio is played by impressionable and impressive Pippa Hinchley.

Morning Star

Pippa Hinchley is destined to be a big star one day.

Kilburn Times

theatre – Gilded Balloon Edinburgh

Think the 11 O’clock Show, think Smack the Pony. Now imagine they are actually funny. Shuffle them together and what have you got? Hey presto, Tortoisehead.

In fact it comes as no surprise to find two writers for these TV shows lurking in this young and talented sketch team. Served up in dollops is an all-reaching humour unencumbered by today’s trend for yawn some in-jokes about of-the-moment TV shows, pop stars or Geri Halliwell.

There is the stalker service for stars who are too busy to find their own, the hamster celeb agency, Adolf Hitler running a launderette and, my favourite, TV spoof Satan on Sunday. Running themes include the eponymous Alans – real ale-swilling country folk of the Titchmarsh variety plotting world domination – and the hypochondriac compulsive liar who loses the use of vital organs to avoid chores.

For sheer presence Tamsin Hollo towers, first among her equals Pippa Hinchley, Paul Jones, Nick Milton and Gemma Rigg, all of whom excel in the dark arts of wicked parody. A satisfying slick laughter machine. 4 ****

Nick Awde, The Stage

Tortoisehead’s five protagonists got together after the bloke whose advertisement for writers they had all answered mysteriously disappeared.

The result of this chance collaboration is a quirky series of sketches that reflect the diverse types of humour in the group and gives the show an unpredictable feel. This can be a little unsettling at first, but the routine soon gathers momentum and the random themes are cleverly interwoven and cross-referenced so that they come together in a chaotic but nonetheless funny climax. The central comic theme is that of the real-ale drinking, corduroy-wearing Alans who plan to take over the world by means of their pub-quiz inanity and plenty of cask-conditioned yeast (that’s pints of bitter to the unseasoned drinker).

The show is sponsored by Tennents Velvet, so each audience member is equipped with a can, something that can only go down well and also ensures that no-one escapes the Alan’s plan for world domination. Tortoisehead are off-the-wall, and quite possibly off their heads (the name itself is a ‘scantalogical’ reference) but they are talented, relaxed performers who provide proper laughs and never fail to surprise with their kooky humour.

Violet Nutting, The Metro

theatre – White Bear – BAC

Pippa Hinchley and Caroline Oakes bring spine-tingling integrity and passion to Nina and Cass, who are thrown into turmoil by Marc Baylis’ wonderfully ambiguous Dal. Director Micheal Kingsbury has a skilful handle on suspense in a sensitive and sublimely cast production, in which trans-Atlantic contrast is neatly reflected in Philippa Kunisch’s witty set. Performances this raw and powerful are a rare treat.

(Skin Hunger was chosen as part of the Time Out Critic’s Choice season and re-staged at BAC in 2001.)