A set reminiscent of one of Louise Bourgeois’ Cells, sets the tone in Harold Pinter’s deeply lonely love triangle. Walls of wooden window frames provide a place of illumination while also suggesting imprisonment. Bourgeois created the cells later in her career, and these sculptures speak to her childhood memories, family relations, and the unconscious. Yuki Izumihara’s set does some heavy lifting for the story before a word is uttered.
Liz Sklar as Emma and Tasso Feldman as Jerry in Marin Theatre's "Betrayal," performing October 22 - November 15. Photo Credit: David Allen
“Betrayal” is one of those plays that makes you work at keeping score of who did what to whom. It opens with a prickly reunion between Emma (Liz Sklar) and Jerry (Tasso Feldman). Tension crackles between the pair of former lovers as they toss their unreliable memories back and forth. Years have passed since their last embrace. After several starts and stops around some sticky subjects, Jerry lands on a happier memory of throwing Emma’s daughter in the air. But the smile is fleeting as the two descend into squabbling. “It was in your kitchen,” Jerry insists. “It was in your kitchen,” Emma replies. She concludes the conversation shortly afterwards by telling Jerry that she is leaving her husband, Robert (Charlie Semine), who is also Jerry’s best friend, and that she has disclosed their affair to him.
Liz Sklar as Emma and Charlie Semine as Robert in Marin Theatre's "Betrayal," performing October 22 - November 15. Photo Credit: David Allen
Sklar’s portrayal of these life-changing events suggests a woman who has learned to repress her emotions to the point of pain. Pace and timing are essential to this story. During many of the exchanges on stage, the audience’s heads whip back and forth as if watching a tennis match.
Under Carey Perloff’s direction, the love affair unfolds in reverse over almost a decade. Perloff worked with Pinter in the past, and this experience informs her reading of the dialogue, offering a perspective that might otherwise be lost today.
The scenes feel deeply human, with the three characters verbally sparring on stage. Bombshells are dropped with precision on their intended targets. Lies are uncovered, while any response must be suppressed to preserve the stiff upper lip demanded by social convention. No character is spared in this deeply uncomfortable and, at times, painfully relatable drama.
Liz Sklar as Emma and Charlie Semine as Robert in Marin Theatre's "Betrayal," performing October 22 - November 15. Photo Credit: David Allen
It is remarkable that even as these characters do their worst, they cannot help reaching for comfort from the very people they have harmed. The gender norms and familial roles governing what one can and cannot do within the confines of society feel like a tidy time capsule of 1970s logic.
Marin Theatre’s “Betrayal” offers an uncomfortable glimpse of the old adage about how much things change and how much they stay the same. Pinter’s play remains a sharp study of the quiet damage people inflict on one another in the name of love. “Betrayal” runs through November 15 in Mill Valley. For tickets, check the theatre’s website.
