Betrayal

[edjames]

Mr. and Mrs. Craig have arrived on Broadway, but they've chosen the wrong vehicle to get there!!!!

 

Oh how I wish I could say that this Harold Pinter play is full of mesmerizing drama and intrigue but alas it sits there like an egg rotting in the trash.

 

There has been breathless anticipation surrounding the arrival of this production on Broadway and it has all the earmarks of being a great production. Mike Nichols is directing Harold Pinter is a classic and esteemed playwright; Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz are both accomplished actors. Theatergoers flocked to the websites early for tickets and the run is practically sold-out.

 

So what went wrong? I'd have to blame the script which never seems to rise above bland and dull. The characters never seem to get to any point of true conflict or drama.

 

Briefly, it's the story of a married man having an affair with a married woman and the plot is somewhat more entangled because her husband is his best friend and colleague. The play is a backwards look at their affair from end to beginning. 1977 to 1968 and not much happening in between!!!

 

Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz do their best to overcome the lack of material. She looks stunning, but he is not a main character and takes a secondary role to Emma and Jerry in the play.

 

You can always tell the success or failure of a production by the audience reaction. Last night, one curtain call and a tepid and polite round of applause. Unlike many shows, only a handful of folks stood, many to hastily exit the theater. The folks behind me all had a negative reaction to the show. It was all very disappointing and expensive evening for me. ($135 plus telecharge fees could have gotten me a bunch of lap dances!!!! LOL)

 

AND, finally as if to add further insult to injury, the play runs a brisk 75 minutes!!!! 9 Scenes, each no longer that 5-8 minutes. No intermission, and no late seating, so make your post dinner reservations appropriately.

 

Ed