BETRAYAL

This reading before a studio audience of a provocative, long one-act from the British master of the pregnant pause has a lot to recommend it. It is a riveting examination of a ménage-à-trois told backwards, from its end to its beginning. The three leads as directed by Rosalind Ayres are very fine indeed. Best is the least known, Simon Templeman, playing the betrayed husband, Robert, who himself has been cheating on his errant wife. He has the most finely tuned comic sense and the most astute comprehension of his character. Worst is Eric Stoltz as Robert's business partner and Robert's wife's lover. His vocal style is just plain dull. Caroline Goodall as the wife is somewhat in-between, having the least sense of her character, but a fine sense of the play's drama. Y.R. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 02]