"Betrayal": Tension and Intrigue at Everyman

Is anything ever as it seems to be?  Are relationships as stable as we think they are?  These are but two questions posed in Harold Pinter's one act play, Betrayal, which opened last weekend that Everyman Theatre.  Under the direction of Donald Hicken, this fast paced drama fairly sizzles with the sexual and marital tension portrayed by a fantastic cast led by the always amazing Deborah Hazlett as Emma. 

The 80 minutes of Betrayal fly by as we find out in reverse order (the play begins in 2007 and ends in 1998) how Emma begins and ends a steamy affair with Jerry (Whalen J. Laurence), who happens to be her husband Robert's (Timmy Ray James) best friend and colleague.  Never mind the fact that Robert himself has had several such affairs throughout his marriage, or that Jerry's wife Judith (unseen, but very much a character) may or may not know, or that despite very certain denials that the child is not her lover's but her husband's, a baby is born to Emma during her affair. 

This is quintessential Pinter, steeped in an almost unbearably scathing sense of menace, spare dialogue (I bet there are fewer than 5 words in the entire thing that are 3 or more syllables) and those famous Pinter pauses.  Yes, those pauses are pregnant with ideas and actions and superbly played by the entire company.  But perhaps the notion that memory has a part in how we deal with situations is the most significant "Pinterseque" element of this play.  By starting at the end we get to see the outcome and what is brought up by any given party; then we go back in time and see that what comes "later" is fraught with murky, selective memory, and all of it awash is a drunken stupor.  The alcohol consumed in each scene is pretty staggering - a couple of glasses of wine in one scene later become a couple of bottles, which then gives way to massive quantities of hard liquor.  It is interesting that it makes sense to the play in reverse order and in the order it "really happened."  Much credit to the cast who uses this tool like every other element in this taught production - sparingly, but with force.  The very nature of a play about an extra-marital affair makes it ripe with tension - will they get caught?  What slip up or forgotten clue will slip them up?  And, even better, knowing from the get go that they DO get caught doesn't lessen our curiosity, but rather engages it even more.  The methodical pacing of each scene (not to be confused with the fact that the entire thing is rapid fire) adds layer upon layer of not only tension, but passion and even love.  Mr. Hicken really knew what he was doing with this piece.

His design staff, not surprisingly, has worked with him in perfect unison creating a visual representation of all things Pinter.  The set, designed by the amazing Daniel Ettinger, is both complex (with its maze like hallways that lead to unseen places) and amazingly spare (there is minimal furniture, all of it used, all of it with clean lines, and with a bed prominently just off center throughout.  Lit with both murky, shadowy areas and conversely sharp, almost scalding focused lights by Colin K. Bills, the lighting creates at once a dreamlike edge and a blistering reality at the center.  He also has created an ingenious series of light boxes that when lit tell us where we are and when, but when unlit become yet two more pieces of sleek, cold furniture.  Finally, Yvette M. Ryan's costumes reveal much about the characters - their wealth, their mood.  She is particularly on target with Ms. Hazlett's costumes which go from closed, almost plain to bright, colorful and flowing as her character's affair grows.

Jason Strunk as a waiter adds a nice dash of humor to a particularly tense scene between the two male best friends.  He makes the most of a part that serves (literally and figuratively) as a means of alcohol delivery.  The three main cast members have superb timing and incredible chemistry.  Without those things, Betrayal would be dead in the water.  It is especially exquisite chemistry when the closer relationships are delved into, be it the easy give and take between best friends, the almost predatory dance between friends betrayed, the complexities of a marriage on the brink or the volcanically hot passion between forbidden lovers.  That takes care of nearly every minute of the play; that is how well these rapier sharp actors perform together.

Robert, the philandering husband, is almost laughably shocked that his wife is having an affair, conveniently forgetting his own indiscretions.  That shock, followed by waves of hurt and anger and only slightly covered by a thin veneer of uncaring is played with nuance and intensity by Timmy Ray James.  His delivery of lines both spoken and unspoken is thrilling - you hang on his every word waiting for an explosion.  At one point, trying to reclaim his wife (or perhaps to mark his territory) he harshly kisses Ms. Hazlett and the sparks fly - a violent, passionate and very sexual moment that beautifully sums up his character.

Whalen J. Laurence's Jerry is a complex mix of near obliviousness (or is this his ruse?) and passive-aggressive possession.  He pours on the concerned best friend routine with a thick brush and broad strokes, and yet when he is dealing with Ms. Hazlett, his character becomes a study in minute variations on complex themes.  When we finally get the scene where we see the lovers allowing themselves to actually enjoy their trysts, Mr. Laurence exudes a fiery sexuality, making it clear why a woman might risk everything just to sleep with this man, let alone have a loving relationship.  Of course it makes the break up that much more aching and morose.

 

If there were an actual lead (all three main characters are equally important if not equal in size) Deborah Hazlett is it.  As always, her performance is hallmarked by superior non-verbal skills.  Watching her face (and in a Pinter play with all those pauses, it is as important as listening to her speak) shows you what a talented actress she is.  Her performance is dazzling and remarkable.  She goes through all the stages of grief, often simultaneously, and manages to make you see why these men are falling all over themselves to be with her, and why she needs them both to be fulfilled.  It is that depth of characterization that makes hers one of the top performances of the season.

It is strange to me that I left the theatre, not exhilarated, but perhaps a little cold and distant.  There is, to be sure, a lot to absorb and ponder.  But rarely has a play stuck so long in the front of my mind as this one.  It is that power that makes this play resonate days later.  Pinter challenges everyone concerned - actors, director, technicians and audiences.  How wonderful that Baltimore has not one, but two companies (here, Everyman and earlier this year, RepStage) that handle such challenges so well.

PHOTOS: (TOP to BOTTOM) Whalen J. Laurence, Timmy Ray James and Deborah Hazlett; Timmy Ray James and Deborah Hazlett; Timmy Ray James and Whalen J. Laurence; and Whalen J. Laurence and Deborah Hazlett.  All photos are by Stan Barouh.