Adulterous journey follows a twisting path

THE Actors Group production of "Betrayal" is the type of show TAG does best. It has a small cast, doesn't require much in the way of costumes or sets, and emphasizes characterization and acting over dialect humor or production values.

"Betrayal" may not be an enjoyable evening for someone who has recently been on the losing end of an adulterous relationship, but playwright Harold Pinter doesn't define Emma and Jerry -- she's married, he is her husband's best friend -- as romantic heroes.

"Betrayal," presented by The Actors Group, continues at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 4 p.m. Sunday, through April 16, at Yellow Brick Studio, 625 Keawe St. Tickets are $15. Call 550-8457 or visit www.honoluluboxoffice.com.

Pinter tells the tale in reverse order. The first scene takes place in 1977. It's been two years since Emma and Jerry ended their seven-year relationship. Emma's husband, Robert, is filing for a separation, and Emma arranges a meeting with Jerry in a London pub. It doesn't take long to see that they're not at peace with each other.

Peter Ruocco (Jerry) and Susan Park (Emma) capture the awkwardness of ex-lovers instantly, in convincing style. Nothing is more uncomfortable in a social situation than not knowing how you're expected to act, and Ruocco and Park couldn't be better if they were living the experience for real.

We learn that Emma was the one who ended the relationship, and not because her husband finally discovered what was going on. Robert had known for several years.

But Emma now feels betrayed by Robert because he is involved with another woman. And Jerry feels betrayed by Emma because she never told him that Robert knew.

Robert doesn't seem a bit fazed by the situation. Not only are he and Jerry still best friends, they're also business associates. Robert is a book publisher; Jerry, a literary agent whose clients include a writer, one of whose works is a novel about a man who leaves his wife for another woman.

Robert keeps an appropriately stiff upper lip. "Are you sure Judith doesn't know?" he inquires politely. Jerry doesn't think his own wife ever had a clue.

"Betrayal" corkscrews through time, jumping back a few years, moving forward a week or two, then jumping back to an earlier year. We watch Jerry and Emma bicker in the apartment they've rented for their weekly assignations. Ruocco and Park capture the experience of lovers talking but not communicating in painfully real style.

Then we see them in happier times, when the apartment was their refuge, and mourn the disappointments to come.

Park brings the same detail to her scenes with Curtis Duncan (Robert). The two are especially good in a scene where Robert slowly brings a seemingly innocent conversation about the quality of service in Italian hotels around to questions of whether something sexual is going on between his wife and his best friend.

Emma is reading the latest hit novel by Jerry's client as the conversation begins. She gradually realizes where Robert is going, and that she can't deflect his suspicions. Park appears to shrink, and her features freeze as the tension builds. It is a remarkable performance.

Duncan is also quite good at holding up his end of this dramatic triangle.

Pinter never reveals why Emma got involved with Jerry, and even less about what caused Jerry to pursue an extramarital relationship.

But director Liz Kane shows an excellent feel for dramatic pacing throughout this fast-moving two-act play. Each scene is a vivid snapshot. Nothing drags, nothing takes longer than necessary. Although we never learn why Emma and Jerry did it, TAG's "Betrayal" is an evening well spent.