Betrayal

This Harold Pinter play was on last night at the Cremorne.  I nearly missed it - for some reason I thought it was on later, but Tuesdays it's a 6.30 session.  Still had time for my bubbly though.  And another innovation - icecreams brought around at interval.  Very nice.  I sat next to a woman who had just come back from my dream trip on the Trans Siberian Railway.  I can't tell you when I first started dreaming about doing that...it was lovely to hear she had a good time.

OK on to the play.  It's a play of words, half completed sentences, silences.  Just like life.  I liked the writing very much.  We are presented with the "ending" and each scene goes back in time to unravel the story.  I think I liked the first scene the best, which is set two years after the lovers have separated and are "catching up" - Emma telling Jerry that her marriage is over.  It was absolutely wonderfully played with held back emotion, half started sentences - really really powerful.

The set was industrial  modern with lighting to represent the different locations, including Venice.  Very clever.  There were projected words/poetry at various times but that left me cold - the play to my mind needed to be just as it was - no extraneous commentary - but perhaps that was Pinter's idea in which case it didn't do it for me.

Towards the end we had a waiter - a poor man's (strike that - a desperately impoverished man's) Manuel from Fawlty Towers.  Except he was Italian.  Not funny and added nothing.  Shame.

The actors were good - the English accent initially strange but it was necessary for the play I think, and it was well done.  A good play.