BRIGGS The trees—
FOSTER Will never bud.
HIRST I must ask you—
BRIGGS Snow—
FOSTER Will fall forever. Because you’ve changed the subject. For the last time.
HIRST But have we? That’s my question. Have I? Have we changed the subject?
FOSTER Of course. The previous subject is closed.
HIRST What was the previous subject?
FOSTER It’s forgotten. You’ve changed it
HIRST What is the present subject?
FOSTER That there is no possibility of changing the subject since the subject has now been changed.
BRIGGS For the last time.
FOSTER So that nothing else will happen forever. You’ll simply be sitting here forever.
BRIGGS But not alone.
FOSTER No. We’ll be with you. Briggs and me.
Pause.
HIRST It’s night.
FOSTER And will always be night.
BRIGGS Because the subject—
FOSTER Can never be changed.
Silence.
HIRST But I hear sounds of birds. Don’t you hear them? Sounds I never heard before. I hear them as they must have sounded then, when I was young, although I never heard them then, although they sounded about us then.
Pause.
Yes. It is true. I am walking towards a lake. Someone is following me, through the trees. I lose him, easily. I see a body in the water, floating. I am excited. I look closer and see I was mistaken. There is nothing in the water. I say to myself, I saw a body, drowning. But I am mistaken. There is nothing there.
Silence.
SPOONER No. You are in no man’s land. Which never moves, which never changes, which never grows older, but which remains forever, icy and silent.
Silence.
HIRST I’ll drink to that.
He drinks.
SLOW FADE
Betrayal
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Betrayal was first produced by the National Theatre, London, on 15 June 1978, with the following cast:
EMMA Penelope Wilton
JERRY Michael Gambon
ROBERT Daniel Massey
A WAITER Artro Morris
A BARMAN Glenn Williams
Directed by Peter Hall
Designed by John Bury
The play was produced at the Almeida Theatre, London, on 17 January 1991, with the following cast:
EMMA Cheryl Campbell
JERRY Bill Nighy
ROBERT Martin Shaw
A WAITER Stefano Gressieux
Directed by David Leveaux
Designed by Mark Thompson
It was produced in the Lyttelton auditorium of the National Theatre, London, on 24 November 1998, with the following cast:
EMMA Imogen Stubbs
JERRY Douglas Hodge
ROBERT Anthony Calf
A WAITER Arturo Venegas
Directed by Trevor Nunn
Designed by Es Devlin
It was produced by the Peter Hall Company at the Theatre Royal, Bath, on 9 July 2003, with the following cast:
EMMA Janie Dee
JERRY Aden Gillett
ROBERT Hugo Speer
A WAITER James Supervia
Directed by Peter Hall
Designed by John Gunter
This production transferred to the Duchess Theatre, London, on 8 October 2003.
It was produced at the Donmar Warehouse, London, on 21 July 2007, with the following cast:
EMMA Dervla Kirwan
JERRY Toby Stephens
ROBERT Samuel West
A WAITER Paul Di Rollo
Directed by Roger Michell
Designed by William Dudley
It was produced at the Harold Pinter Theatre (formerly Comedy theatre), London, on 16 June 2011, with the following cast:
EMMA Kristin Scott Thomas
JERRY Douglas Henshall
ROBERT Ben Miles
A WAITER John Guerrasio
Directed by Ian Rickson
Designed by Jeremy Herbert
CHARACTERS
EMMA
JERRY
ROBERT
In 1977 Emma is thirty-eight
Jerry and Robert are forty.
The play can be performed without an interval or with an interval after Scene Four.
1977
SCENE ONE
Pub. 1977. Spring.
Noon.
EMMA is sitting at a corner table. JERRY approaches with drinks, a pint of bitter for him, a glass of wine for her.
He sits. They smile, toast each other silently, drink.
He sits back and looks at her.
JERRY Well . . .
EMMA How are you?
JERRY All right.
EMMA You look well.
JERRY Well, I’m not all that well, really.
EMMA Why? What’s the matter?
JERRY Hangover.
He raises his glass.
Cheers.
He drinks.
How are you?
EMMA I’m fine.
She looks round the bar, back at him.
Just like old times.
JERRY Mmm. It’s been a long time.
EMMA Yes.
Pause.
I thought of you the other day.
JERRY Good God. Why?
She laughs.
JERRY Why?
EMMA Well, it’s nice, sometimes, to think back. Isn’t it?
JERRY Absolutely.
Pause.
How’s everything?
EMMA Oh, not too bad.
Pause.
Do you know how long it is since we met?
JERRY Well I came to that private view, when was it—?
EMMA No, I don’t mean that.
JERRY Oh you mean alone?
EMMA Yes.
JERRY Uuh . . .
EMMA Two years.
JERRY Yes, I thought it must be. Mmnn.
Pause.
EMMA Long time.
JERRY Yes. It is.
Pause.
How’s it going? The Gallery?
EMMA How do you think it’s going?
JERRY Well. Very well, I would say.
EMMA I’m glad you think so. Well, it is actually. I enjoy it.
JERRY Funny lot, painters, aren’t they?
EMMA They’re not at all funny.
JERRY Aren’t they? What a pity.
Pause.
How’s Robert?
EMMA When did you last see him?
JERRY I haven’t seen him for months. Don’t know why. Why?
EMMA Why what?
JERRY Why did you ask when I last saw him?
EMMA I just wondered. How’s Sam?
JERRY You mean Judith.
EMMA Do I?
JERRY You remember the form. I ask about your husband, you ask about my wife.
EMMA Yes, of course. How is your wife?
JERRY All right.
Pause.
EMMA Sam must be . . . tall.
JERRY He is tall. Quite tall. Does a lot of running. He’s a long distance runner. He wants to be a zoologist.
EMMA No, really? Good. And Sarah?
JERRY She’s ten.
EMMA God. I suppose she must be.
JERRY Yes, she must be.
Pause.
Ned’s five, isn’t he?
EMMA You remember.
JERRY Well, I would remember that.
Pause.
EMMA Yes.
Pause.
You’re all right, though?
JERRY Oh . . . yes, sure.
Pause.
EMMA Ever think of me?
JERRY I don’t need to think of you.
EMMA Oh?
JERRY I don’t need to think of you.
Pause.
Anyway I’m all right. How are you?
EMMA Fine, really. All right.
JERRY You’re looking very pretty.
JERRY So am I. I mean to see you.
EMMA You think of me sometimes?
JERRY I think of you sometimes.
Pause.
I saw Charlotte the other day.
EMMA No? Where? She didn’t mention it.
JERRY She didn’t see me. In the street.
EMMA But you haven’t seen her for years.
JERRY I recognised her.
EMMA How could you? How could you know?
JERRY I did.
EMMA What did she look like?
JERRY You.
EMMA No, what did you think of her, really?
JERRY I thought she was lovely.
EMMA Yes. She’s very . . . She’s smashing. She’s thirteen.
Pause.
Do you remember that time . . . oh God it was . . . when you picked her up and threw her up and caught her?
JERRY She was very light.
EMMA She remembers that, you know.
JERRY Really?
EMMA Mmnn. Being thrown up.
JERRY What a memory.
Pause.
She doesn’t know . . . about us, does she?
EMMA Of course not. She just remembers you, as an old friend.
JERRY That’s right.
Pause.
Yes, everyone was there that day, standing around, your husband, my wife, all the kids, I remember.
EMMA What day?
JERRY When I threw her up. It was in your kitchen.
EMMA It was in your kitchen.
Silence.
JERRY Darling.
EMMA Don’t say that.
Pause.
It all . . .
JERRY Seems such a long time ago.
EMMA Does it?
JERRY Same again?
He takes the glasses, goes to the bar. She sits still. He returns, with the drinks, sits.
EMMA I thought of you the other day.
Pause.
I was driving through Kilburn. Suddenly I saw where I was. I just stopped, and then I turned down Kinsale Drive and drove into Wessex Grove. I drove past the house and then stopped about fifty yards further on, like we used to do, do you remember?
JERRY Yes.
EMMA People were coming out of the house. They walked up the road.
JERRY What sort of people?
EMMA Oh . . . young people. Then I got out of the car and went up the steps. I looked at the bells, you know, the names on the bells. I looked for our name.
Pause.
JERRY Green.
Pause.
Couldn’t see it, eh?
EMMA No.
JERRY That’s because we’re not there any more. We haven’t been there for years.
EMMA No we haven’t.
Pause.
JERRY I hear you’re seeing a bit of Casey.
EMMA What?
JERRY Casey. I just heard you were . . . seeing a bit of him.
EMMA Where did you hear that?
JERRY Oh . . . people . . . talking.
EMMA Christ.
JERRY The funny thing was that the only thing I really felt was irritation, I mean irritation that nobody gossiped about us like that, in the old days. I nearly said, now look, she may be having the occasional drink with Casey, who cares, but she and I had an affair for seven years and none of you bastards had the faintest idea it was happening.
Pause.
EMMA I wonder. I wonder if everyone knew, all the time.
JERRY Don’t be silly. We were brilliant. Nobody knew. Who ever went to Kilburn in those days? Just you and me.
Pause.
Anyway, what’s all this about you and Casey?
EMMA What do you mean?
JERRY What’s going on?
EMMA We have the occasional drink.
JERRY I thought you didn’t admire his work.
EMMA I’ve changed. Or his work has changed. Are you jealous?
JERRY Of what?
Pause.
I couldn’t be jealous of Casey. I’m his agent. I advised him about his divorce. I read all his first drafts. I persuaded your husband to publish his first novel. I escort him to Oxford to speak at the Union. He’s my . . . he’s my boy. I discovered him when he was a poet, and that’s a bloody long time ago now.
Pause.
He’s even taken me down to Southampton to meet his Mum and Dad. I couldn’t be jealous of Casey. Anyway it’s not as if we’re having an affair now, is it? We haven’t seen each other for years. Really, I’m very happy if you’re happy.
Pause.
What about Robert?
Pause.
EMMA Well . . . I think we’re going to separate.
JERRY Oh?
EMMA We had a long talk . . . last night.
JERRY Last night?
EMMA You know what I found out . . . last night? He’s betrayed me for years. He’s had . . . other women for years.
JERRY No? Good Lord.
Pause.
But we betrayed him for years.
EMMA And he betrayed me for years.
JERRY Well I never knew that.
EMMA Nor did I.
Pause.
JERRY Does Casey know about this?
EMMA I wish you wouldn’t keep calling him Casey. His name is Roger.
JERRY Yes. Roger.
EMMA I phoned you. I don’t know why.
JERRY What a funny thing. We were such close friends, weren’t we? Robert and me, even though I haven’t seen him for a few months, but through all those years, all the drinks, all the lunches . . . we had together, I never even gleaned . . . I never suspected . . . that there was anyone else . . . in his life but you. Never. For example, when you’re with a fellow in a pub, or a restaurant, for example, from time to time he pops out for a piss, you see, who doesn’t, but what I mean is, if he’s making a crafty telephone call, you can sort of sense it. Well, I never did that with Robert. He never made any crafty telephone calls in any pub I was ever with him in. The funny thing is that it was me who made the calls—to you, when I left him boozing at the bar. That’s the funny thing.
Pause.
When did he tell you all this?
EMMA Last night. I think we were up all night.
Pause.
JERRY You talked all night?
EMMA Yes. Oh yes.
Pause.
JERRY I didn’t come into it, did I?
EMMA What?
JERRY I just—
EMMA I just phoned you this morning, you know, that’s all, because I . . . because we’re old friends . . . I’ve been up all night . . . the whole thing’s finished . . . I suddenly felt I wanted to see you.
JERRY Well, look, I’m happy to see you. I am. I’m sorry . . . about . . .
EMMA Do you remember? I mean, you do remember?
JERRY I remember.
Pause.
EMMA You couldn’t really afford Wessex Grove when we took it, could you?
JERRY Oh, love finds a way.
EMMA I bought the curtains.
JERRY You found a way.
EMMA Listen, I didn’t want to see you for nostalgia, I mean what’s the point? I just wanted to see how you were. Truly. How are you?
JERRY Oh what does it matter?
Pause.
You didn’t tell Robert about me last night, did you?
EMMA I had to.
Pause.
He told me everything. I told him everything. We were up . . . all night. At one point Ned came down. I had to take him up to bed, had to put him back to bed. Then I went down again. I think it was the voices woke him up. You know . . .
JERRY You told him everything?
EMMA I had to.
JERRY You told him everything . . . about us?
EMMA I had to.
Pause.
JERRY But he’s my oldest friend. I mean, I picked his own daughter up in my own arms and threw her up and caught her, in my kitchen. He watched me
do it.
EMMA It doesn’t matter. It’s all gone.
JERRY Is it? What has?
EMMA It’s all all over.
She drinks.
1977 LATER
SCENE TWO
Jerry’s House. Study. 1977. Spring.
Jerry sitting. ROBERT standing, with glass.
JERRY It’s good of you to come.
ROBERT Not at all.
JERRY Yes, yes, I know it was difficult . . . I know . . . the kids . . .
ROBERT It’s all right. It sounded urgent.
JERRY Well . . . You found someone, did you?
ROBERT What?
JERRY For the kids.
ROBERT Yes, yes. Honestly. Everything’s in order. Anyway, Charlotte’s not a baby.
JERRY No.
Pause.
Are you going to sit down?
ROBERT Well, I might, yes, in a minute.
Pause.
JERRY Judith’s at the hospital . . . on night duty. The kids are . . . here . . . upstairs.
ROBERT Uh—huh.
JERRY I must speak to you. It’s important.
ROBERT Speak.
JERRY Yes.
Pause.
ROBERT You look quite rough.
Pause.
What’s the trouble?
Pause.
It’s not about you and Emma, is it?
Pause.
I know all about that.
JERRY Yes. So I’ve . . . been told.
ROBERT Ah.
Pause.
Well, it’s not very important, is it? Been over for years, hasn’t it?
JERRY It is important.
ROBERT Really? Why?
Jerry stands, walks about.
JERRY I thought I was going to go mad.
ROBERT When?
JERRY This evening. Just now. Wondering whether to phone you. I had to phone you. It took me . . . two hours to phone you. And then you were with the kids . . . I thought I wasn’t going to be able to see you . . . I thought I’d go mad. I’m very grateful to you . . . for coming.
ROBERT Oh for God’s sake! Look, what exactly do you want to say?
Pause.
Jerry sits.
JERRY I don’t know why she told you. I don’t know how she could tell you. I just don’t understand. Listen, I know you’ve got . . . look, I saw her today . . . we had a drink . . . I haven’t seen her for . . . she told me, you know, that you’re in trouble, both of you . . . and so on. I know that. I mean I’m sorry.
ROBERT Don’t be sorry.
JERRY Why not?
Pause.
The fact is I can’t understand . . . why she thought it necessary . . . after all these years . . . to tell you . . . so suddenly . . . last night . . .
ROBERT Last night?
Complete Works, Volume IV Page 9
