The Human Ear

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Warning: this two-hander contains extra hands. Confusing the dimensions and blurring the boundaries of the theatrical form, Paines Plough stages an intriguing thriller in The Human Ear, a play that riffs on mistaken identity, familial loss and the value of companionship. It's both thoughtful and crucial viewing, as well as a daintily crafted piece of theatre. 

Abdul Salis plays Jason, home for the first time in 10 years following the death of his mum. He also plays Ed, a family liaison officer, whose duty it is to inform our protagonist, Lucy (Sian Reese-Williams), of the untimely death of Jason, her brother. What follows is quicksharp whodunnit-esque dialogue, the focus shifting from Lucy and Ed to Lucy and Jason, the audience left to work out for themselves which character Salis is playing at which moment (with a bit of help from Emma Chapman's lighting: one colour for Ed; another for Jason.)

Salis and Reese-Williams manage the script like they've been playing the roles for years. It is a beautifully simple trick, made even more effective by the emphatic language of writer Alexandra Wood. As Lucy struggles to define the relationships spiralling around her (could Ed fill the void her brother left? Why does he keep showing up in the first place?) we begin to make sense of it all. Under the layers, here is a modern tale of companionship, framed by tragedy.