Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Jul 18 – Aug 10, 2025
Playwright: Harold Pinter
Director: Cristabel Sved
Cast: Andrew Cutcliffe, Matt Hardie, Diego Retamales, Ella Scott Lynch
Images by Kate Williams
Theatre review
Emma has been sleeping with her husband’s best friend for years. It would appear that she loves both men deeply, but convention deems this highly improper, forcing all parties to endure stages of anguish as they grapple with the perceived transgression. Harold Pinter’s Betrayal is almost half a century old, yet it seems little has changed in terms of middle-class values and the cultural dominance of monogamy. The play suggests an absurdity in the weight we assign to traditional matrimony, yet Pinter’s narrative remains relevant, even in 2025.
Directed by Cristabel Sved, the work unfolds with ample earnestness, often at the sacrifice of irony and humour. Characters understandably take their circumstances extremely seriously, but it can be argued that the actors should adopt a more observational and discursive approach to improve our intellectual engagement with the show.
Debonair actor Andrew Cutcliffe rises to the challenge as Robert, delivering a satisfying theatricality with his sardonic interpretation of the text. Ella Scott Lynch plays Emma commendably, capturing psychological accuracy even though some of the comedy is compromised. Matt Hardie, too, places emphasis on the realism of the piece but misses the opportunity to create a more entertaining portrayal of Jerry, the secret paramour. A brief appearance by Diego Retamales as a waiter at an Italian restaurant, offers moments of idiosyncrasy that really benefit the production.
Set design by Melanie Liertz is minimally rendered, but certainly sufficient in helping us engage with interactions between friends and lovers. Her costumes however could be more detailed in their depiction of timelines. Lights by Verity Hampson and Luna Ng are immensely helpful in creating the many spatial transformations. It is arguable whether the video projections by Aron Murray are necessary, but they are nonetheless a pleasing sight. Music by Steve Toumin, along with sound design by Johnny Yang are appropriately subdued, and are effective in enhancing the production’s relentlessly serious atmosphere.
Infidelity is painful to go through, but it is also highly comical. We insist on making promises we are incapable of keeping, only to torment ourselves trying to escape the messes we inevitably create. Betrayal does not explain why we allow Emma only to sleep with one man, but it can be seen that her turmoil becomes increasingly meaningless over the course of the play. Traditions deserve scrutiny, and often, what appears deeply important may not be so at all.
Suzy Goes See 