What happens when the motions of triviality lead to human sagas deflating into tepid secret gardens that only the soul and not the world-soul enjoys? And yet, even amidst such adulterous luxuriants such as Pied-à-terres and habits of practicing Italian, is not the world benefiting in gross domestic product?

Troy Dunn, Angela Beyer, David E. Frank. Courtesy City Garage Theatre.

Angela Beyer, Troy Dunn. Courtesy and copyright City Garage Theatre.

With such acquiescence of the ability of fates to be so devious yet so ostensibly tranquil in what amounts to old fashion filial vandalism, is where deviation from custom is this focused in its harmonious components written by Mr. Harold Pinter and staged wonderfully as always by City Garage Theatre’s cast and directorial team.

We are absent the appearance of staged violence in the artwork; even escalation of franticness in each of the scenes is barren as the staged stasis through the murkiness of the tangled webs woven with deception beholden. What is staged is almost an escape fantasy from a dull voided life and is perhaps what these affairs amount to for those lost in life.

But why are they considered lost? Emma, played by Angela Beyer, knows exactly what she wants. As an adulteress wife to her husband’s best friend Jerry, with a superbly inebriated slurriness played by Troy Dunn, she desires him the most. Does he desire the same? What is he more committed to? A lying vanity.

David E. Frank, Troy Dunn. Courtesy and copyright City Garage Theatre.

This is the staging of the world of appearances and the softening effect of worldly success on the passage of the soul through comfort and pleasure and not the demands of virtue which requires testaments to truth which is that naturally exposing. A lie is not needed to move through Nature because the motion does not need to be covered up. The man can just outright claim the woman to be another wife of his without shame or punishment.

Angela Breyer, Troy Dunn. Courtesy and copyright City Garage Theatre.

To move past moral claims towards the more enlightening focus on the merits of truthfulness is an obligation of public, outwardly, trustworthiness. This has the most basic elements of survival. Betrayal is not the foundation of human civilized society. It is kept promises.

Betrayal by Harold Pinter, February 9th through March 17th
Fridays, Saturdays 8:00pm; Sundays at 4:00 at City Garage Theatre

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