Review: THE HUMAN VOICE, Harold Pinter Theatre

Photo credit: Jan Versweyveld

As we take our seats, there’s a rectangular box on stage, we are waiting for Ruth Wilson and She (her unnamed character) is waiting for a phone call. 

There’s been a buzz (excuse the pun) around this play directed by Ivo Van Hove (Network, All About Eve, Hedda Gabler (with Wilson)) since it was announced and Wilson’s performance warrants this but the piece has a few flaws. 

A 70-minute monologue, we see a woman fall apart as she speaks to her lover about the end of their relationship. We only hear her side of the conversation, but get the gist of what he’s saying. 

Wilson is in her apartment. Reminiscent of many a lockdown look, she is dressed in her lover’s Tweety Pie sweatshirt and a pair of tracksuit bottoms with her hair scraped up, indicating her state of mind. 

This contemporary outfit seems incongruous with the problems she’s experiencing on her landline of crossed lines. When the piece was originally penned by Jean Cocteau in the 1930s, these sort of phone issues would have been ten a penny. In this modern adaptation, perhaps it would have been better to have her shaking her smart phone as it loses signal? 

Even though it’s obvious they are parting, at first the call is light. There is affection, some laughter and She lies that she is okay. But the levity soon fades. She is angry, distressed, anxious. She vomits. She blames herself. She tells him she can’t sleep and is suicidal, she lives for him. When they get cut off, she still talks to him, anticipating his responses. 

The set, lighting and sound feels familiar if you’ve seen another Ivo Van Hove play. The rectangular box is her apartment. There is nothing in it, except the phone and a pair of her lovers shoes, which he wants back, but she clings onto for dear life. A sliding window comprises the whole side of the apartment facing the audience, which for the most part is shut, effectively illustrating her isolation and loneliness. The light in her apartment changes to different shades of yellow and orange to reflect her mood. Use of echo and a tinny sounds in part is an insight into her mental state. 

The music is a bit jarring occasionally. At one point, we see Wilson sit on the floor with her back to us, hands above her head placed on the wall, while we listen to the entirety of a depressing alternative rock track. We already know she’s distraught and perhaps don’t need this interlude to show it. 

This is really a platform for Wilson to show why she is one of the most sought after actresses at the moment. The ease in which she switches between emotions is impressive and compelling. We feel her pain and relate to her behaviour. Well, maybe apart from when she acts like her dog (whom she wants her lover to take with him). Her facial expressions, well timed pauses and interruptions tell us what we need to know about the other side of the conversation. 

And wow, when that window opens… it’s chilling…

Wilson is wonderful. 

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Victoria Willetts

The Human Voice plays at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 9 April, with tickets available here.