Review: The Sound Of Absence, Omnibus Theatre

Yanina Hope‘s deeply personal exploration of loss arrives at Omnibus Theatre wrapped in an intriguing premise: what if music and monologue could become equal partners in theatrical storytelling? This ‘conplay’ format positions pianist Vladyslav Kuznetsov not as accompanist but as co-protagonist, creating a dialogue between keys and voice that mirrors the fractured internal landscape of grief.

The evening follows Lenore through the devastating phone call that changes everything — her father lies dying continents away. Hope, who also performs the piece, brings unflinching honesty to this stream-of-consciousness journey through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Her vulnerability feels genuine rather than performed, particularly when grappling with the complicated love between daughter and distant father.

Kuznetsov’s piano work provides genuinely evocative moments, his compositions shifting from urgent clusters during crisis sequences to haunting melodic fragments that capture memory’s ephemeral nature. The soundscape he creates feels organic to the emotional terrain, avoiding the trap of mere illustration. When the two elements align, Hope’s words floating over carefully chosen harmonies, the piece achieves something genuinely original.

Yet the ambitious concept occasionally undermines itself. During extended passages, the competing demands of live piano and spoken narrative create an uncomfortable tension. Rather than seamless integration, audiences sometimes face a choice between following the musical thread or absorbing the monologue’s meaning. The balance requires further calibration to serve both elements effectively.

Director Ivanka Polchenko has shaped this into a meditative experience that demands patience from its audience. The stream-of-consciousness structure, while authentic to grief’s non-linear nature, creates extended contemplative stretches that may challenge those expecting conventional dramatic pacing. This isn’t theatre that announces its moments: it asks viewers to lean into quiet spaces and internal rhythms.

The production’s roots in improvisation show in its organic feel, though this same spontaneity occasionally leaves structural moments feeling underdeveloped. Hope’s vision clearly springs from genuine artistic necessity rather than theatrical exercise, lending the work an authenticity that forgives its rough edges.

Set designer Shahaf Beer and choreographer Anna Korzik provide subtle support that enhances rather than competes with the central duo, understanding that this piece lives in intimate spaces between performer and audience. While The Sound of Absence doesn’t quite achieve the transcendent fusion it seeks, it offers something important: a writer-performer willing to excavate difficult truths about love, loss, and the silences that shape us. For audiences drawn to experimental work with emotional substance, this represents compelling, if imperfect, theatrical territory that has much potential.

Writer & Performer: Yanina Hope
Composer & Pianist: Vladyslav Kuznetsov
Director: Ivanka Polchenko
Set Design: Shahaf Beer
Choreographer: Anna Korzik
Produced by: David Roizengurt with Freya Productions & Quokka Films

The Sound Of Absence has completed its performance at the Omnibus Theatre