Theater Review: A Love Triangle Undone By ‘Betrayal’

In the intimate theater of the Harbor Stage Company, no pained expression or caught breath goes unnoticed as three friends weave through a web of their betrayals. Love, manipulation and lies crowd the nearly bare stage of this cutting depiction of a twisted love triangle.

Director Robert Kropf places Harold Pinter’s 1978 production of “Betrayal” under a merciless microscope, ensuring no moment passes without a loaded glance or an unspoken sentence. The three leads — played by Brenda Withers, Jonathan Fielding and William Zielinski — embody the complexity of their flawed characters with such precision, you will leave the theater wondering whether you should hate them or hug them.

“Betrayal” is a story told in reverse chronological order. At the beginning, or rather the end, ex-lovers Emma and Jerry make painful small talk before revealing the seven-year extramarital affair that has left them unmoored in life.

However, their admitted adultery is just a scratch on the surface of nearly a decade of three-way deception.

Over the course of multiple years, Emma, Jerry and Emma’s husband Robert find creative new ways to torture each other, perhaps proving that time cannot, in fact, change people.

Withers delivers a stand-out performance as gallerist Emma, an insecure woman desperate for validation wherever she can find it. Withers brings the suppressed frustration of Emma to life with beautiful subtlety. Emma has a hole in her life, one she tries to fill with men who have a knack for dismissing her ambitions and desires, and Withers’ portrays Emma’s choked-up feelings of discontentment with unmatched artfulness.

One of the causes of Emma’s internalized dissatisfaction is Jerry, an arrogant literary agent expertly played by Fielding. Fielding tackles this secretly smug character with the right balance of sympathy and shamelessness, skillfully exposing Jerry’s undeniable superiority complex as time flows backwards.

As the seducer of Emma and the best friend to Robert, Jerry believes himself to be the master manipulator of the entanglement. However, it is slowly revealed that he is simply a pawn in the games of others. Emma succumbs to his seduction due to her insecurities, and Robert knows more than Jerry thinks.

Zielinski plays dominant publisher Robert with confidence and a touch of well-executed humor. Robert, both a victim and an executor of infidelity, cares little about his dying marriage and tends to turn to violence when he struggles to express his feelings. It soon becomes clear that he knows about Jerry and Emma’s affair, but his darkly calm response to this betrayal is just one of the play’s many powerfully executed twists and turns.

A quirky Italian waiter is played with gusto by Ari Lew, who provides some lighthearted comic relief in the midst of all the tension, lies and subtle digs.

Each member of this cast puts on a truly spectacular performance, conveying the dark realities of marriage and lust with incredible sensitivity and skill. The overwhelming emotion of the characters contrasted the minimalist set, which was completely empty, save for two chairs and one symbolic ladder.

The ladder, a clever and unique touch of set designer Christopher Ostrom, was climbed, peered through and used as a tool to illustrate the corrosive power dynamic between the three leads. Meanwhile, the two chairs transform into an apartment, a restaurant, a bar, and more, as Ostrom proves that simplicity is everything when it comes to the set of “Betrayal.”

John R. Malinowski, who orchestrated the lighting design with powerful intention, periodically bathes the stage in red lighting to add a layer of intensity to a few cleverly chosen moments. Dim lighting also illuminates characters as they lurk on the sides of the stage, as Malinowski ensures the looming presence of Emma, Jerry and Robert is never forgotten.

The audience is guided through the years by the projection of time-stamps on the dark back wall of the theater. The understated genius of the technical production is the work of technical director Evan Farley, who uses tech elements to highlight the dark undertones of the play.

The Harbor Stage Company co-produced this brilliant adaptation of Pinter’s masterpiece with the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre (WHAT). It is directed, acted and designed with meticulous detail and passion, and pieced together wonderfully by stage manager Alison Fischer Greene.

This production of ‘Betrayal’ is a raw and compelling depiction of the human experience. Like all fantastic theater, it will leave you questioning, processing and aggressively applauding.

DETAILS:

“Betrayal”

At Harbor Stage Company, in conjunction with Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, 15 Kendrick Ave., Wellfleet

Through July 6

Information and reservations: 508-349-6800, www.harborstage.org