Captured at its Courtyard Theatre run earlier this year, Phone is a new play written and directed by Sam Taylor.
It brings together four siblings, Helen (Flora Ashton), Issy (Jessica Garton), Luke (Felix Warren), Harvey (Ted Walliker), Sara (Lauren Koster), for a family get-together.
Set in one hotel room, their lives are driven by their electronic devices, chimes, notifications, and distractions. Luke has been excluded from school and withdraws into an obsession with gaming, Harvey prefers digital interactions over giving attention to his partner.
While Helen sees this occasion as an opportunity to reconnect, open up and chat, her sister Issy can’t resist the urge to narrate her life in voice notes. The lure of illuminated screens is far more powerful than anything approaching a real chat.
Two characters later introduced on the periphery are Sara, Harvey’s girlfriend (Lauren Koster), and Reece (Matt Wake), the hotel receptionist who tries to rekindle the friendship he once had with the family.
This digital version is filmed with one camera from a distance, so no close-ups of faces, and at some points Warren can’t be seen due to his character’s position. But it was of a strong enough quality to connect with and appreciate the strong writing and performances on offer.
Excessive device usage is a real 21st century problem, particularly for millennials and younger, as they have grown up with this being their primary form of connection with others. Mental health can be and often is affected by a reliance on checking social media apps and seeking validation.
As Phone warns us, it can also stop people really communicating with each other (while indubitably opening up their ‘friend’ circle and ability to seek out and store information).
Later stagings of this show might benefit from some pop-up projection to illustrate the digital world, and at present the role of Sara is rather underwear, but Taylor navigates a number of storyline across the 95 minute runtime, giving each sibling a definite personality and backstory.
Phone ran at the Courtyard Theatre from 7-9 Nov. I reviewed from an online capture provided by Sam Taylor at Goldfinch Theatre.
***.5
Image credit: Percy Walker-Smith