Listening to singing in the pitch dark has been done before in Bristol this year as part of the Bristol Proms at the Old Vic.

But no physical contact took place in the studio, whereas the very title of Hug at the Wardrobe Theatre gives a clue about what happens this week above the White Bear on St Michael’s Hill.

Hug sees chairs spread out in the theatre, on which are blindfolds. With the blindfolds on, the show can begin.

Although they remain invisible, footsteps and voices mean a number of singers – at least as many as are in the audience.

When the hug comes it is both unexpected and lovely – a few minutes of uninterrupted intimacy with a complete stranger whose face you never see but whose voice you hear and whose breath you feel they are locked so closely in embrace.

The singing was acapella and moved from hushed whispers to an African-like chant, accompanied by stamping feet.

But this was about the hug, and my own hug was as tender as it was fleeting, a moment of quiet reflection and calm in a cluttered world.

Hug is at the Wardrobe Theatre until Friday. For more information, visit www.thewardrobetheatre.com/#/whats-on/4578690745