The Sound of Absence at the Omnibus Theatre is an introspective monologue about grief with piano accompaniment.
Lenore (Yanina Hope) lives a long way from her father and arrives home too late to see him before he dies.
Her relationship with her father was complex, something we discover through her recollections and stories, and the play explores how that, and time, shape her grief.
It is an intimate performance, designed to draw us into Lenore’s world and feelings as she navigates denial, anger and regret.
Her father, emotionally and later physically absent from much of life, becomes a surprising empty spot for Lenore.
Vladyslav Kuznetsov’s piano performance is skilled and, at times, a haunting and atmospheric backdrop.
However, it can also be a distraction. The music can be overbearing, intruding into the dialogue and sometimes drowning it out.
The refrains are challengingly repetitive, something which is particularly noticeable in pauses where music fills in the ‘absence’ of dialogue.
These quiet periods of contemplation stretch on, Yanina Hope standing still at the side of the performance space or sometimes lying down in the middle, the lighting low.
It slows the pace too much and makes the 70-minute running time feel long. It perhaps allows too much time for minds to wander away from the narrative.
Final thoughts
The Sound of Absence has all the ingredients to be a moving and reflective piece of theatre about an important topic.
When it touches, it is powerful, but there are too many elements working against proper connection.
I’m giving it ⭐️⭐️ and a half.
The Sound of Absence, Omnibus Theatre
Writer/performer: Yanina Hope
Directed by Ivanka Polchenko
Composer/Pianist: Vladyslav Kuznetsov
Running time: 1 hour and 10 minutes with no interval.
Booking until Feb 28; visit the Omnibus Theatre website for more information and to buy tickets.
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