The story of a breakup told in two acts of a truly unusual performance blending theatre, ballet, and opera—this is the briefest summary of The Indifferent Beauty / The Human Voice.
Jean Cocteau is the author of both plays, while Francis Poulenc transformed The Human Voice into an opera for the soprano Denise Duval, and Edith Piaf starred in the premiere of The Indifferent Beauty.
The Teatrul Național de Operetă și Musical „Ion Dacian” presents both works united within a shared dramaturgical concept, offering audiences the virtuosity and artistic versatility of soprano Oana Șerban, who will perform both roles—a true reflection on love and human relationships. Her partner is the ballet dancer Marian Chirazi, whose artistic personality and physical expressiveness add a distinctive dimension to his silent role through movement and dance.
The two moments of the evening complement each other in a play of contrasts: the impenetrable silence of the man in The Indifferent Beauty becomes the counterpoint to the intense musical discourse of The Human Voice. From the stark theatricality of a room divided between two strangers to the intimacy of a telephone conversation unfolding before our eyes, the performance traces the anatomy of a love falling apart through two distinct yet converging stage languages.
The production proposes a unifying visual aesthetic, with a minimalist set and a cinematic atmosphere, in which light, sound, and gesture construct a deeply unsettling emotional space. Within this economy of means, the intensity comes from within—from voice, gaze, and presence—shaping a dense and moving theatrical experience.
Directed by Oana Rusu
Translated by Alexandru Pătrașcu
Concept Radu Petrovici
Cast:
The Woman: Oana Șerban