Telephone review – dial S for stranger in a night of unexpected connections

Available online
Coney's entrancing combination of storytelling and shared conversation celebrates the history of telecommunications

The range of theatrical experiences emerging online is truly impressive. So far, I've tracked down a missing woman, been pulled into a whistleblower's shady investigations and summoned up storms alongside a Shakespearean spirit. But Coney's latest show, Telephone, is in a whole new genre: an entrancingly low-key combination of storytelling and shared conversation which explores - and marvels at - the history of telecommunications.

Artistic director Tassos Stevens begins the show by inviting us to the Coney Bar, where we're encouraged to do a bit of chair dancing" as music tinkles in the background. After a few gentle smiles and wiggles, Stevens produces a washcloth and asks us to imagine the theatre curtain rising. From then, Stevens still sits at his desk chair yet the atmosphere feels different. The collective will of imagination - and shared effort of communication - is beginning to work its magic.