Harold Pinter’s study of a long-lasting marital infidelity is deceptive. On one level, it’s an entirely accessible, told-in-reverse depiction of a romantic triangle. Beneath that, however, it’s an unsettling examination of the dynamics of secrecy and lies.

Directed by Cristabel Sved for Sport for Jove, this production has a grasp on the script’s lighter moments. But overall, this Betrayal is nowhere near as disconcerting an experience as it should be.

Pinter introduces his audience to ex-lovers Emma (Ella Scott-Lynch) and Jerry (Matt Hardie) in a bar, some two years after their affair has ended. Pinter then slips the play into reverse to spotlight pivotal moments in the relationship and challenge the assumptions of all involved – which includes Ella’s husband Robert (Andrew Cutcliffe), Jerry’s best friend. Betrayal ends at the affair’s beginning, in a drunken encounter eight years earlier, when the besotted Jerry makes a play for Emma’s affections.

Matt Hardie and Ella Scott-Lynch in Betrayal. Photo © Kate Williams

Designer Melanie Liertz dispenses with naturalistic details. The world of the play is condensed to a neutral beige of carpet and stage-width vertical blinds, which double as projection screens. Soft images of...