An illicit love affair unravels from its bitter end to its blissful beginning in "Betrayal" by Harold Pinter, the next offering in the Yale Repertory Theatre's 1999-2000 season.
Pinter's drama about marital infidelity will be staged by Obie-Award-winning director Liz Diamond, and will run Oct. 21-Nov. 13 at the Yale Rep, corner of Chapel and York streets.
In "Betrayal," Pinter dissects the dynamics of human relationships. At the play's beginning, a man admits to having known of his wife's affair with his best friend. Each subsequent scene is set further back in time, revealing the lies and acrimony that have been festering beneath the surface since the affair began. When "Betrayal" opened on Broadway in 1980, Walter Kerr of The New York Times proclaimed it "as mesmerizing as a cobra."
"Betrayal is justly famous for its dramatic structure -- which created a sensation at its premiere," says Stan Wojewodski Jr., artistic director of the Yale Rep and dean of the School of Drama. "But it is Pinter's clinically precise insights and the emotional intensity with which he endows the play that continue to reward artists and audiences alike with each revival."
Pinter is best known for his plays "The Caretaker," "The Homecoming," "The Birthday Party," "Old Times," "A Slight Ache" and "Ashes to Ashes." His screenplays include "The French Lieutenant's Woman," "The Servant," "The Pumpkin Eater," "Accident," "The Go-Between" and the 1993 film adaptation of Franz Kafka's "The Trial." In 1998 Pinter was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.
The cast for Betrayal includes Ritchie Coster as Robert, John Hines as Jerry, Stephanie Roth Haberle as Emma, and William F. Reeves as the Waiter.
Coster last appeared in New Haven in "Dealer's Choice" at Long Wharf Theatre. In addition to numerous theatrical and television roles, he has appeared in the film "The Thomas Crown Affair" and is in the upcoming movies "Bait," "15 Minutes," "The Photographer" and "The Young Girl and the Monsoon."
Hines, who graduated two years ago from the School of Drama, returns to Yale Rep, having appeared in "Pentecost" and "The Skin of Our Teeth." He has appeared in a number of New York productions and on several television shows. His film credits include "54," "The Money Shot," "The Tao of Steve," "The Bookie's Lament" and the independent film "The Best Man," for which he also wrote the screenplay.
Roth Haberle appeared on Broadway in "Artist Descending a Staircase," for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination, and the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." She has had numerous off-Broadway and television roles, and previously appeared at Yale Rep in "Intermezzo." Her film credits include "Deconstructing Harry," "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Philadelphia."
Reeves makes his Yale Rep debut in "Betrayal." He has been acting in community theater throughout Connecticut for the past four years, most recently portraying the lead role in "A Little Murder Never Hurt Anyone" in February at Clockwork Repertory Theater in Oakville. Prior to that he was seen in "Dracula" at Chester Playhouse.
Diamond is a resident director at Yale Rep, where she has staged numerous productions, including "St. Joan of the Stockyards," "Mrs. Warren's Profession," "The Skin of Our Teeth," "The Cure at Troy" and "The America Play." She has taught directing at the Yale School of Drama since 1992, and has served as the senior artistic associate at the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue since 1998. In addition to the Obie Award, Diamond has received the Connecticut Critics Circle Award for directing.
The "Betrayal" production staff includes Adrian W. Jones, scenic designer, Miranda Hoffman, costume designer; Scott Zielinski, lighting designer; Brian MacQueen, sound designer; Barbara Somerville, dialect consultant; and Allison Horsley and Jonathan Shandell, production dramaturgs.
Performances of "Betrayal" are on Mondays at 7 p.m., and Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on three Saturdays -- Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 and 13 -- and on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Tickets for "Betrayal" are currently on sale and range in price from $26 to $34. Discounted tickets are available for students, senior citizens, and groups. For more information, call the Yale box office at (203) 432-1234; box office hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
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