BETRAYAL Comedy Theatre

Harold Pinter’s most accessible play, based on his 7-year affair with TV presenter Joan Blakewell and written after his marriage had broken down, is regularly revived but difficult to get right; with the wrong actors it can easily seem bland and insubstantial. Here it has the inestimable advantage of Kristin Scott Thomas putting on a brave face as the wife. The story is told in reverse chronological order, adding to the irony and poignancy. The real betrayal is between the two men. The husband (Ben Miles) knew his best friend (Douglas Henshall) was having an affair with his wife but he never let on to him that he knew. Pinter thought the cuckold was the best role and you can see why he wanted to play him: brusque in manner and innately cruel, he always seems about to lose his temper in a big way and turn very nasty indeed. Miles actually looks like Pinter.