SA
Performing all forms of betrayal
Betrayal is one of the most painful human experiences conceivable and few have captured this quite like Harold Pinter in his highly acclaimed play of the same name.
PETER FELDMAN
“Betrayal” made its first appearance on the London stage in 1978 and has now been resurrected for South African audiences at the Auto & General Theatre on the Square. It is directed by Greg Homann, with Jewish actress Carly Graeme playing a pivotal role.
Harold Pinter is one of theatre’s most renowned practitioners, and during his early life before the Second World War, he experienced many instances of anti-Semitism in London, which had a deep impact on his writing and his theatrical works.
“Betrayal” is a complex work with three characters, all of whom have been betrayed in love. The work richly illuminates the shifting balance of power in triangular relationships and the pain of loss, and it may resonate with those who have experienced this scenario in their lives.
The play examines relationships, love, lust and time, poetically exploring the rift between memory and reality. Inspired by Pinter’s own clandestine extramarital affair, “Betrayal’s” plot integrates different permutations of betrayal. It also shows that the very capacity for love itself is sometimes based on betraying not only other loved ones, but even ourselves.
Pinter employs an interesting device in his storytelling armoury. By utilising reverse chronology to chart a seven-year-long affair, he cleverly probes the corrosive nature of betrayal.
Emma (Carly Graeme) and Jerry (Tom Fairfoot) are married lovers who have betrayed both their partners. Robert (Antony Coleman), Emma’s husband, has also betrayed Jerry, his closest friend, by not revealing to him his discovery of the affair. Jerry and Robert, respectively an agent and publisher, use the world of literature as a core tenure of their lives.
In conversation, the men reveal that in their youth they worshipped poetry, especially the works of W B Yeats, for its aesthetic joy. Now, as adults, their idealism also appears to have somewhat been betrayed.
Pinter’s acute intelligence and deep understanding of matters of the heart, flow through the crisply delivered dialogue. Director Homann manages to elicit from his players some of the heartache inherent in these infidelities.
In one striking scene, where Emma and Jerry part in the Kilburn flat that has been their secret love-nest, there is a cold sadness evident in Carly Graeme’s demeanour and a defeated, almost resigned, mien to Tom Fairfoot’s Jerry.
A pivotal scene takes place in a Venetian hotel, where Robert learns of Emma’s infidelity through a letter his wife receives from Jerry. It’s a terminal moment in their relationship.
When Robert discusses with Jerry his affair with Emma, he conceals his emotional hurt under a sardonic mask, and seems to relish the power he has over the unaware Jerry.
Homann’s production, with its simple stage setting, gives Pinter’s play a veneer of reality. The players manage to imbue their characters with a degree of emotional heft that give these creations a solid grounding.
“Betrayal” is aimed at discerning audiences. It is on until July 1.