'Betrayal' at the Pinter

The Harold Pinter Theatre in London has been doing a season of all of Pinter's short plays. I went, in October, to the first production, 'Pinter 1', and last weekend I went, with friends, to the final production, a performance of 'Betrayal', Pinter's semi-autobiographical play, based on his affair with Joan Bakewell. 

This production has a small, but very impressive cast  Tom Hiddleston as 'Robert' , Zawe Ashton as 'Emma', Robert's wife, and Charlie Cox as 'Jerry', Robert's best friend, and Emma's lover. 

There is a beautifully minimalist set  -a slightly marbled effect backdrop which changes  with lighting between subtle pinks, greys  and blues in different scenes , and then just a couple of chairs, and at times a folding table. The stage has a revolve, which is used sparingly, and effectively!    

It's very good. The minimalism of the set means that the focus is really on the characters, and their relationships, and the actors portray these extremely well. The betrayals are, of course, not  just the obvious ones of Emma's adultery, but also Robert's betrayal of her, through his own adultery (which we learn of at the start of the play, and Emma, due to the reverse chronology, learns of  after the end of her affair with Jerry) , Emma's betrayal of Jerry, in lying to her about what, and when, Robert knows of their relationship, and the ways in which Robert and Jerry betray their friendships with one another.

Photo (c) The Jamie Lloyd Company, via Facebook

There are moments of comedy - Jerry's panic as he tries, in speaking with Robert, to remember what he is supposed to know, and what he only knows from Emma's clandestine letters, about Robert and Emma's trip to Venice, and Robert stabs viciously at his melon, and knowingly, and maliciously comments to watch Jerry squirm, however, in the same scene, Hiddleston manages to portray Roberts grief and loss, as he appears close to tears.

Programme

All of the characters are on stage all of the time, so their presence is felt in every interaction between the other two  - every time Jerry and Emma are together, Robert is in the background, not present in body, but there in their, and our, consciousness.

In short, i was impressed. It's well worth seeing, and I'd have to admit that while it does nothing to change my view that Pinter probably wasn't a very nice person, I have to admit he was a pretty good playwright! 

And Tom Hiddleston is undoubtedly an excellent actor . Both Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox are also excellent in this, but I  think of the three characters, Robert is central, and so Hiddleston's role is central.  

The play is on until 1st June, and tickets are still available (although mostly, not cheap). If you have a chance, it is well worth seeing. 

Pinter at the Pinter

I have very mixed feelings about Pinter. I've seen some excellent productions, such as 'The Hot House' , and others which I enjoyed less, such as 'The Birthday Party', and 'The Caretaker', or where I enjoyed them because the talents of the actors made p for the text!

So when I saw that there was to be a season of 'Pinter at the Pinter', showing all of Pinter's short plays, I was ambivalent about whether or not to try to see any of them.

As I was going to London anyway for King Lear, I did decide to go to see 'Pinter One', mainly on the basis of the cast, which includes Paapa Essiedu, Antony Sher and Maggie Steed.

And afterwards, I still had mixed feelings about Pinter.

'Pinter One' started with Press Conference - a politician, the new Minister for Culture, (Jonjo O'Neill) taking questions about his new role...including comparing it to his old role, as head of the secret police. He cheerily confirms that he has the same aims, and chats about abducting children and raping women, and about, in his new role, stifling criticism or dissent.

It sets the tone for the rest of the evening, which includes One for the Road, in which Antony Sher is an apparently affable government functionary, interviewing a man his wife, and son. His chatty manner and apparent wish to be liked, initially masking his ruthlessness and near absolute power over them, as he interrogates them, revealing that they have been tortured. 

There was also a new sketch, discovered by Pinter's wife following his death, The Pres and an officer, in which we see a Trump-alike American President (Jon Culshaw)  give orders to nuke London, in the mistaken belief that it is the capital of France - which is too horribly plausible, right now, to be funny..

I didn't stay for the final play, Ashes to Ashes, as I had a train to catch, but over all, I enjoyed some of the performances, but less the actual plays. 

The Birthday Party

When I booked for Titus Andronicus, I thought I might want a bit of light relief afterwards, so booked a ticket for Harold Pinter's  The Birthday Party, on the basis that it is billed as a comedy, and that it has an interesting cast, including Zoe Wanamaker, Stephen Mangan, Toby Young and Pearl Mackie.

It's a very weird play. It starts off in a fairly straightforward way; we see Petey (Peter Wight) and Meg (Zoe Wanamaker), an older couple, running their home as a boarding house, run down and (as we learn) with only a single guest (Stanley - Toby Jones, of whom Meg is extremely fond). Petey works as a deck chair assistant, Meg (inefficiently) looks after the house, and Stanley has't worked for a while.

Meg is planning a birthday party for Stanley, and has arranged for her neighbour, Lulu (Pearl MacKie) to buy him a gift on her behalf.

Things then get much stranger, as two men, Goldberg (Stephen Mangan) and McCann (Tom Vaughan-Lawler) show up, allegedly looking for a room for a night or two, after which things start to get weirder. 

Goldberg and McCann are there for Stanley, but it isn't ever clear why, or where they are from. At first, it seems as though they might have been involved in crimes together, then perhaps that they are there in a more official capacity.. having seen 'The Hot House' a couple of years ago, I can't help but wonder whether that is where they were going to take him...

Stephen Mangan was unrecognisable, and very intimidating, and Tom Vaghan-Lawler manager to be somehow both vulnerable and scary. I would have liked to have seen more of Pearl Mackie's acting sills, but the role didn't offer much scope for her.

So, weird, but well presented weird!

No Man's Land

When you learn that Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart are reuniting to appear on the stage together there is only one possible response, if you live close enough, and that is to book a ticket immediately.

So that is what I did.

And on Saturday I went up to London to see the play, 'No Man's Land' by Harold Pinter.

It's not one I've seen before. I really enjoyed it. Partly because it's Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, who could both make reading the telephone directory fun, and partly because this is a play with many darkly comic moments.

Patrick Stewart is 'Hirst', a wealthy and successful writer, but apparently suffering from some form of memory loss/confusion, although whether this is purely due to excessive alcohol or something more is unclear. Ian McKellen is 'Spooner', a down-at-heel and unsuccessful writer.

They have apparently met in a pub, and returned to Hirst's home to continue to drink, and talk, often at cross purposes. Later, we meet Hirst's companions / servants - Foster (Teale) and Briggs (Molony) who add an air of occasional menace.

It's an odd play, where nothing is entirely clear (how many of the mens' reminiscences are true, how many are attempts at oneupmanship or pure invention, for example) but it's gripping, and often very funny (sometimes doubly so due to the performers, for instance when Spenser comments on Hirst's hair loss).

Well worth seeing.

The live show is on until 17th December, although tickets are not cheap, but it is being shown in cinemas on 15th December - I'd see it, if I were you!