Hold the phone: From onstage plot device to early broadcast experiment, opera has played a surprising role in the history of the telephone.

The article explores the historical relationship between opera and the telephone, highlighting opera's role both as a narrative device onstage and as a medium for early telephonic broadcasts. It discusses key operas such as Francis Poulenc's *La voix humaine* (1959) and Gian Carlo Menotti's *The Telephone* (1947), where telephones are central to the plot, reflecting modern life. The piece also details pioneering experiments in the 1890s, including the Anglo-French telephone line tested with live operatic transmissions and the establishment of the Electrophone in London and the Théâtrophone in Paris, which allowed subscribers to listen to live performances remotely. Additionally, it describes how the Royal Opera House in London integrated telephone technology internally by 1902 to improve operational communication, illustrating opera's early adoption of telecommunications to modernize production processes.