The Lyric Theatre will stage the world premiere of Denouement, a bold new production by writer John Morton, running from Tuesday 21 October to Saturday 15 November 2025. Presented as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival, this darkly comic and emotionally resonant two-hander explores love, memory and final goodbyes in a world on the brink of extinction.
Set in the year 2048, Denouement follows Edel and Liam as they live out the last hours of humanity in a remote Irish farmhouse beneath a mountain. As the world crumbles, Liam obsessively types his memories on a battered typewriter, while Edel battles to connect with their children one final time.
With a script described as “funny, tragic and slightly absurd”, the play delves into what endures when everything else has fallen away. Through wit, honesty and shared history, Edel and Liam demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit in the face of annihilation.
Originally submitted through the Lyric Theatre’s New Playwrights Programme, Denouement made such an impression on the selection panel that it was commissioned immediately.
The production stars acclaimed actors Anna Healy and Patrick O’Kane. Healy (Escaped Alone; The Ferryman; Juno and the Paycock) portrays Edel, a tech-savvy mother determined to reach out across the digital void. O’Kane (Agreement; Macbeth; Red) plays Liam, her husband, who turns to memory and the comforts of routine in the face of catastrophe.
The creative team includes director Jimmy Fay, set and costume designer Maree Kearns, lighting designer Sarah Jane Shiels, and composer and sound designer Chris Warner.
Denouement offers both a dystopian vision of the future and a moving study of a long-standing relationship, prompting audiences to consider whether some things are best left unsaid—even at the end.
For tickets and more information, visit: www.lyrictheatre.co.uk