The Human Voice

Prime Cut Productions bring a new version of Jean Cocteau's The Human Voice to the Lyric Theatre in Belfast from Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 November. It's a radical reimagining of Cocteau's 1930 monologue, La Voix humaine, adapted by Darren Murphy and set within a half-mile radius of the theatre itself. The production is staged in the round at the Naughton Studio, and it's a case study in muted theatre with no room for showy hysterics.

Nicky Harley, known for her monodramas and (tragi-)comedy roles, takes the lead as a woman juggling love and work whose world is upended by a desperate client and a lover who abandons her. The staging keeps things close and domestic: Ciaran Bagnall's lighting gently caresses a blue-walled bedsit, Rosie McClelland's costume design runs from painted toenails and jogging bottoms to a mop of copper auburn hair, and Conor Mitchell's soundtrack leans on pizzicato cello sequences. There's a window looking out onto Ridgeway Street, through which real cars pass while the action unfolds inside. The production was staged with the permission of the Chairman of the Comité Jean Cocteau.

Prime Cut Productions is one of Ireland's leading independent and award-winning theatre companies, and this is a new version of the piece directed by Emma Jordan. It runs over three days: Thursday 5 and Friday 6 at 20:00, and Saturday 7 with a matinee at 15:00 and an evening show at 20:00. Tickets are £16-£22, with a community, artist and student discount of £16 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and matinees.