Emma (Barbara Gulan) and Jerry (Rex Young) begin their longtime love affair in “Betrayal,” Harold Pinter’s love story told in reverse. (photo by Harlan Taylor) |
If the plot of “Betrayal” moved forward in time it would be a mildly entertaining play about a love triangle. But “Betrayal,” currently running at Actors Theatre of Louisville, moves backward from 1977 to 1968 as it traces the steps of a London publisher, his wife and his wife’s lover, who is also the publisher’s best friend.
Venerable playwright Harold Pinter’s sophisticated drama draws strength from this type of time travel because showing the action in reverse accentuates the minute details of the relationships between the three people.
For example, when Emma (Barbara Gulan) breaks up with her lover, Jerry (Rex Young), she says that the apartment they rent for afternoon trysts is just for sex and was never intended to be a home away from their spouses and children. Rewind a few years and it becomes clear that the apartment was a temporary home for the lovers, a place where they could fix meals, sleep together or just relax. Revealing the apartment’s primary intention shows us why Jerry is so hurt by Emma’s remarks and, because the apartment no longer holds the same meaning to her, how badly Emma wants the affair to end.
The most dramatic use of this device occurs each time Emma’s husband Robert (Stephen Webber, who offers some mesmerizing moments) drops clues that he knows Emma is cheating. At one point, the cold and snobbish Robert leaves Emma and Jerry in a bedroom, practically unconcerned about (or at least condoning) what may happen after he shuts the door. While this scene happens toward the /files/storyimages/of the play (because it is when Jerry and Emma first kiss), move forward five years, and a very concerned and angry Robert discovers his wife’s secret. Yet, the audience sees the concerned and angry Robert first, making the “bedroom scene” all the more powerful — because there is a sense that Robert should have seen the affair coming. And maybe he did, but he does nothing to stop it.
Each person in “Betrayal” is betrayed and betrays. Emma cheats on her husband and Jerry sleeps with his best friend’s wife. Those betrayals are easy to figure out. What’s not as obvious is how Emma and Robert betray each other and Jerry. Robert betrays Jerry by continuing to be his fri/files/storyimages/and acting as if there is no affair. Emma betrays Jerry because she doesn’t tell him that Robert knows about the affair until two years after it’s over. Robert betrays Emma because he never asks her to stop the affair.
The acting in this revival is solid, but not terribly exciting. The sets and costumes are effective, but minimal. But at times, the play is thought-provoking and deeply intriguing. I credit the subtlety of Pinter’s writing and director Marc Masterson and the actors’ ability to zero in on how the space between Pinter’s words cue the facial expressions, postures and actions of the cast.
