| Betrayal (play) |
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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. The play is unusual for its reversed timeline (though not unique, see Merrily We Roll Along ); the first scene in the play takes place after the lovers' affair has been dissolved. It was first produced by the National Theatre in London on November 15th, 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. Unlike the majority of Pinter's previous works, ''Betrayal'' does not fall under the Theatre Of The Absurd , but rather revolves around real characters in realistic circumstances. Regardless of being so fundamentally different in method, ''Betrayal'' is regarded as one of Pinter's classics. The play is often erroneously attributed to a public scandal caused by Pinter leaving his wife, Vivien Merchant , for Lady Antonia Fraser (whom he married after his divorce in 1980 ). In actuality, the play was actually based on an affair he had seven years earlier with television presenter Joan Bakewell . There has been a 1983 film version of the play starring Jeremy Irons and Ben Kingsley as well as a 2000 off-Broadway production at the Roundabout Theatre with Juliette Binoche , Liev Schreiber , and John Slattery. In addition, the comedy '' Seinfeld '' made an episode as an homage to this play. The episode was entitled "The Betrayal," went backwards through time, and even had a character named "Pinter." The 2000 motion picture '' Memento '' uses a similar backward flashback timeline. This point is discussed by the director, Christopher Nolan , in the supplementary materials available on the DVD. |
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