The Lover is a one-act play with only two characters: a husband, Richard (Rob Hayward); and a wife, Sarah (Emma Jenkinson). The play, then, is an exploration of their uniquely dysfunctional marriage. The play begins with the husband leaving for work, asking his wife, quite casually, if she will be entertaining her lover that afternoon. She says she is, and we shift directly to that evening, when the husband returns. Later in the play, the identity of the eponymous Lover is revealed, and the truly bizarre nature of the couple's relationship becomes apparent.

The play is at times disturbing, dealing as it does with sex, control, communication, and the interrelation between the three. The two actors handle the demands of the script well, and nothing feels gratuitous or forced. The script itself seems very much open to interpretation by the individual company; the same script with different cast or direction could easily have produced a very different play. In particular, the balance of power between the husband and the wife is extremely ambiguous, and this production, if anything, highlights that ambiguity (it would have been equally possible to take the side of either character).

Although essentially a strong interpretation of a demanding piece, there are certain elements of this production that let it down a little. The scene changes are not as sharp as they could be, and in the intimate surroundings of the Burton Taylor, this means noticeable periods of time listening to people shuffling in the dark. Emma Jenkinson's performance, whilst strong when taken as a whole, takes a while to get used to; for most of the first few scenes she seems rather false. While I understand that this was likely an artistic decision (since the character is, for a large part of the play, essentially play-acting) I found that it made it harder to engage with her character, which was a shame. Her performance in the latter half of the play suffered no such flaws.

On the technical side, the sets are minimalist: a table, some cups, a pack of cigarettes. The lighting is subtle, but reasonably effective, supporting rather than signalling transitions in mood. The wife is required to make several costume changes; this is vital to the themes of the play, but does tend to slow things down.

To close on a regrettably uncharitable note, I would avoid reading the Director's Statement in the programme, at least before you actually see the play. It's rather gushing and luvvyish, and if you're easily swayed by such things, it could prejudice you against what is an otherwise strong production.

The bottom line as ever then: should you spend your time and money to actually see this show? At the end of the day it's a solid production of a decent bit of Pinter. It isn't particularly light viewing, but if you're looking for an affordable trip to the theatre, to see something you can feel good about having seen, then it's worth a look.

  By the time you swear you're his,
    Shivering and sighing,
  And he vows his passion is
    Infinite, undying -
  Lady, make a note of this:
    One of you is lying.

    - Dorothy Parker

Daniel Hemmens, 28/04/2005