Written by Harold Pinter, Directed by Cristabel Sved. A Sport for Jove Production
Heartbreak feels all the more devastating in Pinter’s Betrayal when you have already seen it callus over into disinterest
Reviewed by Grace Ackary
Old Fitz Theatre, Woolloomoolo
Season 8 July – 10 August
Tickets: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/book-now
Type: Reversed Storytelling, Love Triangle, British
If You Liked: Merrily We Roll Along, The Homecoming
In Betrayal by Harold Pinter at the Old Fitz, we find ourselves in 1970s London meeting three characters: husband, wife, and husband’s best man. All engaged in a love triangle which spans nearly a decade.
The delight of Betrayal is bound up in its reverse format. We take on the journey of the affair backwards. We open – the two lovers have broken up. We close – the night of their first kiss. As an audience member, there should be innate satisfaction in the ending being handed to you on a plate. Somehow, the heartbreak feels all the more devastating when you have already seen it callus over into disinterest.
In a classically British situation, the plays brilliance hinges on its characters inability to really express what they are truly feeling. It is wonderful to watch a character positively writhe with pain and angst, yet hide it away behind a myriad of humour, deflection, and often drinking. Truth, tension, and emotional juice lie right underneath the lines as subtext rules in Pinter world.
In Cristabel Sved’s production, there certainly are moments of great intrigue, led most often by Andrew Cutcliffe’s portrayal of Robert. In Robert, Cutcliffe finds the quintessential passive-aggression, aversion to sincerity, and sardonic humour that is often key to British plays of Pinter’s time. Cutcliffe positively rattles with rage upon finding out his wife is having an affair and yet starts the scene gleefully playing with the window blind and grinning across the room at the lounging Emma, played by Ella Scott Lynch. It is this squirming manoeuvring of a torturous situation that Cutcliffe executes with nuance and ease, leaving us surprised, satisfied, and intrigued.
There were gorgeous moments of stillness by Lynch, and Matt Hardie’s humorous, often clueless Jerry made moments between two old best friends feel very real and sore. Emma and Jerry give us engaging moments of stillness and funny discomfort, but there is something unclear about why they are doing all this that underpins it all.
If there is drama to be found in everything people don’t say and the ensuing gap between what they do… then perhaps this is what was lacking between the two lovers in this production. A different engagement with the subtextual tension more rooted in a British sensibility felt necessary for their love affair to really grab us in the way the text intended. It was as if they too already knew they were doomed. And that left some scenes feeling a little repetitive and confused in their direction.
Truth, tension, and emotional juice lie right underneath the lines as subtext rules in Pinter world.
The music composed by Steve Toulmin throughout the show gave a warmth and weight to moments of transition, which helped connect and engage the emotional colour of the previous moment with the next.
The projection work by Aron Murray was poignant, evocative and consistently lifted the energy of scene transitions and overall atmosphere of the show. Meanwhile, the set design by Melanie Liertz and lighting by Verity Hampson & Luna Ng had beautiful moments of synchronicity, such as during a scene on holiday in Italy- the soft sun comes through moving blinds, dappled across a reading Emma as Robert twiddles with them; possibly signifying time passing. It is simple, effective, and a little bit magic.
Theatre Thought: How have British sensibilities changed through the emotional portrayal of characters since Pinter’s time? Particularly with male characters, have we seen a change in how masculinity is portrayed on stage?
Cast and Creative Team
Producing Company: Sport For Jove
Playwright: Harold Pinter
Director: Cristabel Sved
Set and Costume Designer: Melanie Liertz
Co-Lighting Designers: Verity Hampson & Luna Ng
Composer: Steve Toulmin
Sound Designer: Johnny Yang
AV Designer: Aron Murray
Production Manager: Izzy Morrissey
Stage Manager: Taylah Crouch
Accent Coach: Linda Nicholls-Gidley
Creative Producer: Chris Tomkinson
Assistant Director & Producer: Isabella Milkovitsch
Marketing Manager: David Soncin
Cast (of 4): Ella Scott Lynch (Emma), Andrew Cutcliffe (Robert), Matt Hardie (Jerry), Diego Retamales (Waiter)
This listing is updated as cast/creatives are confirmed in the lead-up to the production, and if there are changes to the team.
