Harold Pinter’s “Old Times”, in the Sala Beckett

Written over just three days during the winter of 1970 and then revised over several months, Harold Pinter’s Old Times delves into the memory of an apparently stable couple. The husband and wife team of Kate and Deeley, a film director, receive a visit from Anna, who shared a flat and was friends with Kate twenty years earlier, when they were both considerably younger.

The arrival of the enigmatic woman shakes the foundations of the couple and gives rise to a series of vague memories. What happened between Deeley and Anna? What secrets are the characters hiding? Set in one room, a “minimalist triangle” develops in which Pinter portrays the ravages of the passage of time, the labyrinths of memory and the fragility of human and amorous relationships.

The play, translated by Joan Sellent, is a demonstration of the mastery of the British playwright, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, over unspoken thoughts and silences. Directed by Sergi Belbel and starring Míriam Alamany, Sílvia Bel and Carles Martínez, Old Times (Vells Temps) is one of what are known as Pinter’s “memory plays”, written during the 60s and 70s. In this instance, what at first glance appears to be a light comedy is transformed into a dense drama of almost tragic intensity, full of irony and disquieting humour.

Old Times can be seen up until the 27th of July in the Sala Beckett and forms part of the Festival Grec. Tickets are priced at 20 euros. For more information, please consult the theatre or festival websites.