Did I Call You? @ The Studio, Oct 7

Wistful nostalgia for the past's vision of the future

Article by Gareth K Vile | 12 Nov 2006
Ian Nulty's one-man play 'Did I Call You?' takes on the overload of information in the 21st century, wondering whether the modern preoccupation with technology is a blessing or a curse. Using the ubiquitous mobile phone as a metaphor for the challenges of communication, his delivery is tentative and hesitant. Hardly touching on sexuality at all, Nulty recalls his excitement at receiving an early tape-recorder, makes predictable jibes at the clumsiness of early mobiles, and compares technology around the world. Part of a double-bill with 'Zug-Zwang', 'Did I Call You?' was exposed as earnest and sensitive, in spite of the belly-laughs and wistful nostalgia for the past's vision of the future. By weaving Nulty's personal history into a profound meditation on the nature of change, 'Did I Call You?' opens up a space for the cultivation of a genuinely radical theatre, where individual experience can be the seed for broader social commentary.