A ROOM OF HIS OWN.(an appreciation of Harold Pinter)

American Theatre, October, 2001 by Copeland, Roger

A CRITIC FRESH FROM LINCOLN CENTER'S HAROLD PINTER FESTIVAL, INVESTIGATES THE FORBIDDING TERRITORY BEYOND PINTER 101 TWO PEOPLE IN A ROOM--I AM DEALING A GREAT DEAL OF THE TIME WITH THIS IMAGE OF TWO PEOPLE IN A ROOM. THE CURTAIN GOES UP ON THE STAGE. AND I SEE IT AS A VERY POTENT QUESTION: WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THESE TWO PEOPLE IN THE ROOM? Is SOMEONE GOING TO OPEN THE DOOR AND COME IN?

Harold Pinter

THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS RARELY CHANGE: A room, a safe enclosed space of some sort. Characters who feel not only secure, but "at home" in that space. An unexpected visitor whose very presence evokes a sense of dread, of inexplicable threat--a fear that seems at first, unfounded, even paranoid. Then...almost imperceptibly, an "invasion"...

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