BETRAYAL PRODUCTION PHOTOSLooking to learn more about the show? Read the Providence Journal's preview article: Wilbury Group brings 'Betrayal' to Providence, or check out our dramaturgical note from the program. |
NEWS & REVIEWS
"In the hands of director Aubrey Snowden, her extraordinary cast and the innovative minds at The Wilbury Theatre Group, Pinter's angst simmers in a stew of contempt and unhappiness that is riveting in its intensity and accessibility...Betrayal is a searing drama that is realistic, and this production is an absolute treat." -The Providence Journal "Gripping...The Wilbury Theatre Group's deeply engaging, unabashedly intimate production of his arguably most recognized play, Betrayal reminds both Pinter admirers and detractors of the playwright's well-deserved status in the canon of great theater...Several nights later, I'm still recovering from The Wilbury Group's intense, compelling production." -Edge Providence "Extraordinary...From the scene changes through swinging glass window/doors to the trip to Venice, the talk of Torcello, the seagulls sounds and the charming waiter, Betrayal will bowl you over. With its minimal stage, minimal dialogue and stellar acting, Betrayal is a must-see. I urge you to make the drive." -The Westerly Sun "A drama of many turns, many changes....Perhaps the best aspect to this production is the think-out-of-the-box setting put forth by scenic designer Josh Christofferson...It's up close and tight but it also works, giving the actors close up conditions that rival those created by Pinter. And then there are windows that suddenly flash up, with the cast moving through (or is that fleeing away from) the audience. The set, unorthodox as it is, seems perfect for a play by Pinter. All is up close and tight and yet can whisk away, in a Pinterian second." -RI Public Radio "This night of theater is juicy and intimate...About twenty-four seats flank the performing area, and the effect is intense. Every huff, every kiss, every micro-aggression reverberates....You’ll leave feeling a little flushed and a little reckless, having done nothing but enjoy a good show." -Rhode Island Monthly "A big winner....Director Aubrey Snowden has ingeniously taken the play and its three central characters and put them in a small space on the stage at Wilbury, with a dozen seats on each side, creating an intimacy so crucial to the enjoyment of the production...If you like great theatre, don’t miss this one." -Cranston Herald/Warwick Beacon "Under Aubrey Snowden’s taut direction for the Wilbury Theatre Group, the mysteries and ambiguities of Pinter’s singular play have a richly dark presence all their own...Pinter’s riveting play scores championship volleys in Wilbury Theatre Group’s smartly intimate revival." -Boston Theater Wings |
ABOUT THE PLAY
The play begins in the present, with the meeting of Emma and Jerry, whose adulterous affair of seven years ended two years earlier. Emma's marriage to Robert, Jerry's best friend, is now breaking up, and she needs someone to talk to. Their reminiscences reveal that Robert knew of their affair all along and, to Jerry's dismay, regarded it with total nonchalance. Thereafter, in a series of contiguous scenes, the play moves backward in time, from the end of the Emma-Jerry affair to its beginning, throwing into relief the little lies and oblique remarks that, in this time-reverse, reveal more than direct statements, or overt actions, ever could.
One of the 20th century’s most influential dramatists, Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter innovatively explores the complexities of love, guilt, and duplicity in this Olivier Award-winning classic. A critical and popular success on both sides of the Atlantic. Winner in New York of the Drama Critics Circle Award as Best Foreign Play and in London of the West End Award as Best Play of the Season.
The play begins in the present, with the meeting of Emma and Jerry, whose adulterous affair of seven years ended two years earlier. Emma's marriage to Robert, Jerry's best friend, is now breaking up, and she needs someone to talk to. Their reminiscences reveal that Robert knew of their affair all along and, to Jerry's dismay, regarded it with total nonchalance. Thereafter, in a series of contiguous scenes, the play moves backward in time, from the end of the Emma-Jerry affair to its beginning, throwing into relief the little lies and oblique remarks that, in this time-reverse, reveal more than direct statements, or overt actions, ever could.
One of the 20th century’s most influential dramatists, Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter innovatively explores the complexities of love, guilt, and duplicity in this Olivier Award-winning classic. A critical and popular success on both sides of the Atlantic. Winner in New York of the Drama Critics Circle Award as Best Foreign Play and in London of the West End Award as Best Play of the Season.