In March one of Harold Pinter’s best known plays returned to the West End with a short run at the Harold Pinter Theatre with a killer Line Up. Tom Hiddleston, best known for his role as Loki, stars alongside Zawe Ashton (Fresh Meat) and Charlie Cox (Netflix’s Daredevil) in the play of Betrayal.

The play is based around an affair that Emma and Jerry have over a seven year time period where they would meet in a secret flat throughout that time. The play sees the affair play out in reverse and how the string of events lead to the original romance. The play runs for 90 minutes.

The play is set on a stage that does not have much set of props apart from two parts of a stage in the centre that rotate throughout the show to connote the passing of time and the change of scene. When you originally start watching this play you wonder what is happening and if it will actually work as a concept but as you go through the play the rotating stage actually creates a strong sense of emotion and reflects the turn of events as the narrative develops.

Even though the play is based around a very serious subject the humour that is brought to the stage by the actors is fantastic. There are a few scenes where the humour particularly stands out – the restaurant scene really is a stand out scene of the show and really highlight both Tom and Charlie’s comedy value.

The play as a whole is very well acted and I think it is down to the cast – they are all very good and all bring something different to the stage. I think casting Tom Hiddleston as the lead was a good choice – whilst he may initially of brought the audiences in because of his popularity, his acting is both very good as the serious, charm and comedian and this show allows him to highlight all these qualities whilst going back to his routes of the theatre.

Zawe was a great choice for the female lead and she plays the part of Emma very well and brings a range of emotions to the audience – both sympathy and anger that she is betraying so many people and she leads you to walking away actually questioning whether you should be on her side or not.

Charlie Cox was also a stand out in this show – he was also another actor whose use of emotions throughout the show really highlight the depth of the narrative. Every scene that he is in you feel engaged and captivated by the story.

I went into this theatre show knowing the basics of the story and not sure whether I would enjoy it. However, the actors were so engaging and the parts so well played that the 90 minutes flew by really fast and I was captivated by the narrative. The rotating stage that I originally found an irritating concept grew on me and I felt elevated the story.

The play I think has been extended, however I am not sure if it is with the original line up, if you can get tickets to see this version of the play – do it, if you want a night of well performed drama with a hint of comedy.

Rating: 8/10