Review: British reserve hides broken hearts in BETRAYAL at the Artscape

The name of this play is so simple, yet that one word is so loaded with emotion - BETRAYAL. It's one of the worst things to experience from someone you love, and this is exactly what the three characters go through on stage - each one betraying the other.

The play has only three characters - a husband and wife, and the husband's best friend who is also the wife's lover. We first meet the clandestine lovers after the affair has ended and the story then progresses backwards through the relationship to the very start. Harold Pinter's writing is clever and concise, revealing each betrayal and broken heart like a knife slicing through the character's heart. However, this pain is hidden behind that ever so prim-and-proper British exterior that so rarely lets emotions come out to play.

It felt to me like the play moved in gasps. The characters and the momentum of the play seemed to hold still like they were holding their breath, and then there'd be a rush of movement and emotion as if everyone was gasping for air before holding it all in again. It was an interesting sensation and worked well with the mood of the play.

The cast of Marlisa Doubell, Pierre Malherbe and Matt Newman worked smoothly together. However, I didn't quite believe the emotional connections, especially between Doubell and Malherbe who were the pair having the affair. I'm not sure if this is a result of the reserved nature of the script and characters or not.

I loved the set design by Patrick Curtis, as well as the energy with which the scene changes were done. It was as if the energy from the scene that ended was carried through by the actors as they moved furniture around on stage before moving into the energy of the next scene. This worked so well and added to that idea where the play moved in gasps.

It's a special treat to see BETRAYAL this year because this is only the third time that the rights have been granted for an exclusive Cape Town run. It's well worth getting to the Artscape to watch.

Photos: Jesse Kramer

BETRAYAL is on at the Artscape until Saturday 29 October. Tickets range between R160 and R200, and are available at Computicket.

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