A lot to love about The Lover

I'm dying to reveal the freakish twist at the end of Harold Pinter's one-act, The Lover. But I won't. Leaving the theatre, I wanted to run up to the first person I saw, shake them violently, and say, "Can you believe it?" I restrained myself, however, and will try my hardest to keep this amazingly huge secret from busting out.

The Lover takes place in a sparsely decorated living room and centers around the deteriorating relationship of Sarah (Moriah Brier, DC '04) and Richard (Adam Litle, DC '02), two middle-aged lovers who look to escape their mundane lives. From the start, the audience feels tension emanating from the stage and sitting heavily in the air. The very first line wastes no time in pushing the audience full force into the nervous energy between characters. "Is your lover coming today?" Inquires Richard as he reaches for his coat and kisses his wife goodbye. Litle makes sure to roll out his "l", allowing the audience to mull over all the images this word brings to mind.

The best part of Pinter's dialogue and the most well played aspect of the production is the conspicuous lack of noise. Pinter is famous for his use of silence to increase tension and his understatement. The absence of speech forces the viewer into the uneasy tension between the couple. The only sound is a pair of bongos whose appearance marks the sexually charged moments.

The sparseness of the dialogue gives both Brier and Litle a chance to truly shine. Both actors fall naturally into the terse back and forth banter of this couple. Litle has mastered the slow and deliberate formulation of phrases to ooze irony and spite. Brier shoots back with startlingly poignant facial gestures and body movement that make her Sarah equally charged. Although at instances the sexual tension appears contrived and a bit overdone, for the most part Litle and Brier bring a great deal of talent to their roles.

The set and costumes producer Christina Gucwa, DC '03, and art designer Perin Doniger, ES '05, have chosen mimic the terse and sharply cut dialogue. Sarah and Richard wear only white, black, or gray and the set is outfitted with only a bed, chairs, and side tables. Though space is limited, the set is well laid out and used to its full potential to advance the themes of the play.

As for the twist, I swore I'd keep my mouth shut; you'll have to see it for yourself.

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