Betrayal (play)

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See also: Works of Harold Pinter

Betrayal is a play written by Harold Pinter in 1978. The play deals with an affair that entangles a married couple, Emma and Robert, and their close friend Jerry (who is also married). The play is innovative in its particular uses of reverse chronology; the first scene in the play takes place after the lovers' affair has been dissolved. But several of the scenes advance the action by moving forward in time as well. Betrayal is regarded as one of Pinter's major plays and is produced quite often all over the world.

Contents 1 Production history 1.1 London productions 1.1.1 London premiere 1.1.2 Other London productions 1.2 New York productions 1.2.1 New York premiere 1.2.2 Roundabout Theatre production 1.3 Australian productions 2 "The Betrayal" (Seinfeld episode) 3 Film 4 Notes 5 External links

[edit] Production history

[edit] London productions

[edit] London premiere

Betrayal was first produced by the National Theatre in London on November 15, 1978. The original cast featured Penelope Wilton as Emma, Michael Gambon as Jerry, Daniel Massey as Robert, and Artro Morris as the waiter. It was designed by John Bury and directed by Peter Hall. Later, it opened on Broadway on January 5, 1980 with Raul Julia as Jerry, Blythe Danner as Emma, and Roy Scheider as Robert.

Due to a program note about the author accompanying productions of the play, stating that he "has lived [with] Antonia Fraser" for "five years", the biographical context for the play has been attributed erroneously to Pinter's affair with Lady Antonia Fraser, which occurred from 1975 to 1980, while he was still married to Vivien Merchant. (Pinter married Antonia Fraser in 1980, after the Frasers' divorce (1977) and the Pinters' divorce (1980) became final.) In actuality, Pinter explained to his official biographer, Michael Billington, the play is based on an affair he had in 1962-69 with television presenter Joan Bakewell, who was married to producer and director Michael Bakewell at that time.

[edit] Other London productions

In 2007, Roger Michell staged a revival of Betrayal at the Donmar Warehouse theatre starring Toby Stephens as Jerry, Samuel West as Robert, and Dervla Kirwan as Emma. Pinter reportedly lunched with the actors, attended an early "readthrough" and provided some advice, which, according to Stephens, included ignoring some of Pinter's famous pauses.^[1] The play was also revived in the Lyttelton at the National Theatre in November 1998, directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Douglas Hodge, Imogen Stubbs and Anthony Calf.

[edit] New York productions

[edit] New York premiere

[edit] Roundabout Theatre production

2000 saw an off-Broadway production at the Roundabout Theatre with Juliette Binoche, Liev Schreiber, and John Slattery.

[edit] Australian productions

It was given a major Australian production for Sydney Theatre Company in 1999 with Paul Goddard, Angie Milliken and Robert Menzies, directed by David Berthold.

[edit] "The Betrayal" (Seinfeld episode)

"The Betrayal", the eighth episode of the ninth season of the television situation comedy (1997) Seinfeld, is a comic parody and homage to Pinter and his play.

The episode moves backward in time, featuring a plot structure of reverse chronology, and it includes a character named (Peter) Pinter.^[2]

[edit] Film

See main article: Betrayal (1983 film)

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Internet Broadway Database

v • d • e The plays of Harold Pinter Plays : Ashes to Ashes, The Basement, Betrayal, The Birthday Party, The Caretaker, Celebration, The Collection, The Dumb Waiter, The Dwarfs, Family Voices, The Homecoming, The Hothouse, A Kind of Alaska, Landscape, The Lover, Moonlight, Monologue, Mountain Language, A Night Out, Night School, No Man's Land, Old Times, One for the Road, Party Time, Remembrance of Things Past (with Di Trevis), The Room, Silence, A Slight Ache, Tea Party, Victoria Station, Voices (with James Clarke) Sketches : Apart From That, Applicant, The Black and White, Dialogue for Three, Interview, Last to Go, The New World Order, Night, Precisely, Press Conference, Request Stop, Special Offer, That's All, That's Your Trouble, Trouble in the Works