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Betrayal
Betrayal | Harold Pinter
3 posts | 5 read
One of the most essential artists produced by the twentieth century. Pinters work gets under our skin more than that of any living playwright. New York Times Upon its premiere at the National Theatre, Betrayal was immediately recognized as a masterpiece. It won the Olivier Award for best new play, and has since been performed all around the world and made into an Academy Award-nominated film starring Jeremy Irons, Ben Kingsley, and Patricia Hodge. Betrayal begins with a meeting between adulterous lovers, Emma and Jerry, two years after their affair has ended. During the nine scenes of the play, we move back in time through the stages of their affair, ending in the house of Emma and her husband Robert, Jerrys best friend. [Betrayal] deals with the shifting balance of power in triangular relationships, and with the pain of loss. . . . Pinter probes the corrosive nature of betrayal . . . a world where pain and loss are explored with poetic precision. Guardian Betrayal is an exquisite play, brilliantly simple in form and courageous in its search for a poetry that turns banality into a melancholy beauty. Newsweek There is hardly a line into which desire, pain, alarm, sorrow, rage or some kind of blend of feelings has not been compressed, like volatile gas in a cylinder less stable than it looks . . . The play's subject is not sex, not even adultery, but the politics of betrayal and the damage it inflicts on all involved. Times (UK)
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mom2bugnbee
Betrayal | Harold Pinter
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Last NYC post - not *exactly* book-related, but they do publish scripts. 😉 The reason I took my 17yo daughter was to see Tom Hiddleston in Betrayal. He is her favorite actor & has been her top celebrity crush for years. Unfortunately, they didn't sign after the show, but it was still an amazing time - stunning performances by all three actors. She graduates in 213 days & we are soaking in every minute. 😍

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Emilymdxn
Betrayal | Harold Pinter
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Excited for Betrayal tonight! I had Pinter ruined for me a bit by some bad productions a few years ago, and this is me giving him a chance again. I‘m loving going to the theatre more regularly and reclaiming my Theatrical Person status which I lost a bit while living away from London. Also a bit aflutter to see Tom Hiddleston live ngl 😍

Christine Wow! Enjoy!! 6y
Theaelizabet Terrific! Yeah, Pinter is a hard one. Here‘s hoping. 6y
saresmoore Mmm, yes. 6y
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Susannah Oh wow, I have serious Theatrical Person envy right now. 😉 Let us know how it is! 6y
Emilymdxn @christine @Theaelizabet @saresmoore @susannah it was amazing! Much better than I was expecting to be honest, all 3 actors were amazing, the direction was completely on point, hilarious, tense and deep in places. I still wouldn‘t say Pinter is my fave, his women leave something to be desired, but I can definitely see why people like this now 6y
DivineDiana Fantastic! ❤️ 6y
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Susannah
Betrayal | Harold Pinter
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Pickpick

Thank heavens I was able to find an audio version of this play (BBC radio drama with Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott, no less!) because at the halfway point, I was totally adrift.

I can‘t remember if Pinter always writes this way, but Betrayal is not great for play readers. I can imagine actors have a field day with everything he leaves off the page, but for me, reading this was akin to this Eddie Izzard bit: https://youtu.be/Qfw60qXtOH0

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Susannah That said, I do recommend this if you like plays. The more I sit with it, the more I realize how effective it was (if you can set aside how Pinter‘s characters are very much beset by first-world problems that ring rather hollow in these times). 6y
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