The Human Voice Tickets

By: Jean Cocteau
Director: Ivo van Hove
Cast list: Ruth Wilson
Design: Jan Versweyveld

In recent times, we’ve all been glued to our phones. They’re not just devices to call, text someone, or play games — phones are our lifeline. When someone is calling you, they may deliver good news. Or, one message can change your entire world. In The Human Voice, explore how human connections can change in an instant. Book The Human Voice tickets now on TodayTix.

In The Human Voice play, audiences meet a young woman. She’s speaking to her lover down the telephone. They’ve been together for five years, so she’s expecting her partner to propose and enjoy a lifetime of wedded bliss. So when the unnamed man says he’s going to marry another woman, he leaves the lady on the end of the line — the lady we see — broken. For almost sixty minutes, the young man speaks, shouts and cries into the telephone, marking a goodbye to her departing lover.

Rather than a two-person play, writer Jean Cocteau used the telephone as a means of exploring human needs. Audiences never meet the man, so it’s up to the theatreoger to conjure their own impression of the unnamed character too, adding to the tension. Even though The Human Voice is nearly a century old, this harrowing monologue captures the timeless essence of love and loneliness, amped up during the global pandemic.

The Human Voice London performances star Ruth Wilson, who makes her West End return. Ivo van Hove directs, with design by Jan Versweyveld. But you’ll need to hurry to see The Human Voice, as it’s only at the Harold Pinter Theatre for three weeks. Book The Human Voice tickets now on TodayTix.

What to Watch For

• The Human Voice is Ruth Wilson’s first West End play in six years. Her last London show was Hedda Gabler at the National Theatre in 2016, also directed by Ivo van Hove.
• Ruth Wilson is a two-time Olivier Award-winning actress. She won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for A Streetcar Named Desire (as Stella) and Best Actress for Anna Christie (as Anna Christie.)
• The Human Voice play is by Jean Cocteau, who was an early 20th-century French poet. There’s a museum dedicated to him in Menton, France, which houses Séverin Wunderman’s collection of Cocteau’s manuscripts.
• The Human Voice has been adapted into two films. Sophia Loren starred in the 2014 film, and Tilda Swinton played the leading role in a 2020 Spanish-American adaptation.