RRP Presents Harold Pinter’s ‘BETRAYAL’

The Rock River Players (RRP) presents Harold Pinter’s ‘BETRAYAL’ on Friday & Saturday, August 21, 22, 28, 29 at 7:30pm, and Sunday August 23 & 31 at 2:00pm.

Harold Pinter’s 1978 play Betrayal explores the corrosive, multifaceted nature of deception through a reverse-chronological love triangle. It traces a 9-year affair between Emma, the wife of a publisher named Robert, and Jerry, Robert’s best friend and a literary agent. The concept centers on how memory, time, and hidden motivations erode trust.

Instead of moving forward, the play begins in 1977—two years after the affair has ended—and works backward to 1968, the night the affair began.This backward progression forces the audience to view the characters’ actions and cheery facades in the present, knowing exactly where their lies will ultimately lead. It transforms the central mystery from “what will happen next?” into “how and why did this love deteriorate?”

While marital infidelity is the most obvious premise, Pinter investigates multiple layers of betrayal:

– Friendship: Jerry betrays Robert, his closest friend, colleague, and best man.

– Self-Betrayal: Pinter noted that the most tragic betrayal is actually self-betrayal—how the characters systematically compromise their own integrity, morals, and identities.

– The Betrayal of Time: The inescapable decay of memory, passion, and youthful idealism over the nine-year period acts as an overarching antagonist.

The dialogue is aggressively polite, casual, and spare. The true emotional weight, rage, and desire are almost never spoken directly. Instead, the audience must decipher the characters’ hidden motives by contrasting their polished, everyday small talk with what is already known about their illicit relationships.

The 2026 RRP production includes Randy Lichtenwalner as Robert, Sean Fitzharris as Jerry and Addie Mahdavi as Emma.

Performances are

Friday August 21, 7:30pm
Saturday August 22, 7:30pm
Sunday August 23, 2:00pm
Friday August 28, 7:30pm
Saturday August 29, 7:30pm
Sunday August 30, 2:00pm

Admission is on a sliding scale of $15 to $25, though no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Tickets are available at the door or by using the form below.

Williamsville Hall at 35 Dover Rd., Williamsville, Vt., is ADA compliant and air conditioned.

Tickets are available at the door or by using the form below.

Sliding scale ticket range of $15-$25 for general admission,
with no one turned away for lack of funds (NOTAFLOF).

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