Harold Pinter's BETRAYAL Begins Performances At Goodman Theatre In February

Goodman Theatre will present Artistic Director Susan V. Booth's new production of Harold Pinter's Nobel Prize-winning drama, Betrayal.

The trio at its heart are portrayed by Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Helen Hunt as Emma; Tony Award winner Robert Sean Leonard as Jerry; and Tony Award nominee and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Ian Barford as Robert, with Jeff Award nominee Nico Grelli as the Waiter.

Understudies for the production include Cheyenne Casebier (Emma), Michael Milligan (Robert/Waiter) and Jeff Parker (Jerry).

Betrayal appears February 8 – March 16 in Goodman Theatre's 856-seat Albert Theatre (opening night is February 17). Tickets ($25 - $165; subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Betrayal or by phone at 312.443.380. 

“If you've ever witnessed a solar eclipse, you might remember the trick of poking a hole in a cardboard box and letting the light of the eclipse refract through it onto the ground to see the event, but not scorch your retinas in the process. Plays like Betrayal are a bit like that—allowing us to look at the thing that we feel compelled to understand better (and to do so in relative safety) while allowing us to examine our and other people's failing, and maybe gain a little clarity—a little compassion—from the exercise,” said Susan V. Booth, who returns to the Albert Theatre to direct Betrayal following her critically acclaimed Chicago-premiere production of Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad last season. 

Emma, Robert and Jerry have history. As her marriage to Robert comes to an end, Emma reconnects with Jerry, her former lover—and her husband's Best Friend—as the action unspools backward in time in an inventive retelling by the Nobel Prize-winning playwright. At once utterly domestic and dangerous, uncovering hidden truths and revealing how little we know about those we think we know so much about, it's an “elegy about time and memory (where) the greatest dramatic weight lies in what's unspoken” (New York Times).

Special events for the production include Harold Pinter: Playwright and Lover (February 12), an exploration of Pinter's life and legacy, including his groundbreaking plays, his complex personal relationships and the profound impact of his marriages on his work and Betrayal Unveiled: An Interactive Pre-Show Context (February 20), which features a series of thought-provoking challenges and questions for partners, best friends and family members to test how well they truly know each other.

ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES AT GOODMAN THEATRE

ASL-Interpreted Performance: Friday, February 28 at 7:30pm – Professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.

Touch Tour* and Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, March 1, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset.

Spanish-Subtitled Performance: Saturday, March 1 at 7:30pm – An LED sign presents Spanish-translated dialogue in sync with the performance.

Open-Captioned Performance: Sunday, March 2 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.

Visit Goodman theatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre's accessibility efforts. 

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