A Slight Ache

A husband and wife sit at either end of a long table, in the kitchen of a great house where they were once employed as servants, though the place now appears to have been abandoned by its owner. Russell Beale's rough-spoken Duff describes his day, in banal and often crude words, behind which one detects a desperate yearning to break into his wife Beth's reserve and re-establish intimacy with the woman whom he admits to having once betrayed. Clare Higgins's remote, memory-haunted Beth however, is entirely locked in her memories of a beautiful day by the sea when she was caressed by water and discovered her "one true love" asleep in the dunes and asked him if he would like a child before they made love.

As so often with Pinter I found myself irritated by the play's deliberate air of mystification. Who was Beth's lover? Her husband in his youth? The master of the house?

Pinter, typically, won't tell. The two actors however beautifully deliver his spare language, which suggests a great undertow of loss and longing with unforced poetic resonance.

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Accessibility links Skip to article Skip to navigation. Tuesday 18 December In rep until Oct 1; tickets: Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. A Slight Ache by Harold Pinter. Paperback , 46 pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

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Pinter 7: A Slight Ache / The Dumb Waiter Tickets | Harold Pinter Theatre | www.newyorkethnicfood.com

Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Jul 07, Rick rated it it was amazing. I love "A Slight Ache. It's a 3-character play, or actually 2, since it was originally designed to be performed on radio. The "silent" character is a roughly dressed, rather sinister match-seller, who never makes a sale because he constantly stands in an alley that leads only to the monastery.

The other 2 characters are an upper-class English couple who lead sheltered suburban lives. The gentleman works up coura I love "A Slight Ache. The gentleman works up courage to speak to the matchseller and finds his tray of matches is all wet and moldy. This leads to one of the many memorable lines of the play; "You'll never get ahead in business if you don't take care of your goods! Sorry, these few lines can hardly hint at the delightful dialogue in this funny, tragic drama. Sep 08, Clint Davis rated it it was amazing Shelves: Another frightening, enigmatic look into the human psyche from Pinter.

He really paints an ugly picture of the human condition.

Pinter 7: A Slight Ache / The Dumb Waiter Tickets

The two characters - an aging married couple - exemplify the worst characteristics of insecurity and control. Fear of the unknown is a major theme, as Edward tries to trap and examine anything he doesn' Another frightening, enigmatic look into the human psyche from Pinter. Fear of the unknown is a major theme, as Edward tries to trap and examine anything he doesn't understand. A bit of dialogue and action in the opening pages is agonizing to read, as the couple debate over the best ways to kill a wasp that was unlucky enough to fly into their home.

Pinter had the gift of finding unsettling terror in every corner of everyday life. He proves it again here and in just one act! A fascinating, quick read.

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Jul 09, Angela Randall marked it as to-read Shelves: We own this as part of a collection of plays in one book: Jan 25, tomwrote rated it really liked it Shelves: The dread coalesces through the play, growing more and more focused on a mysterious 'other' who comes to represent every fear, fantasy and lost hope. Compact and absurd and extremely unsettling. Jul 08, Fateme Beygi rated it liked it Shelves: Jan 10, Fishsanwitt marked it as to-read Shelves: Dec 07, Issa rated it liked it Shelves: Another lovely play by Pinter.

It's a long one-sided conversation with the matchseller. The language in here is irresistible. Jan 27, Danijel rated it liked it.

I felt a bit insulted at the end May 10, Paulina rated it really liked it. Aug 24, Steven rated it it was ok Shelves:

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