What happens when a visit from an old friend turns into more than just reminiscing and sharing a meal? Harold Pinter’s Old Times, directed by Peter Pasyk, takes its cues from absurdist theatre while dialing the (sexual) tension to eleven. Beautiful design and a haunting text make Old Times an intriguing production.

Old Times is a living room drama about a couple, Deeley (Christopher Morris) and Kate (Anita Majumdar), who are having one of Kate’s oldest friends Anna (Jenny Young) over for a visit. While the couple debriefs about this friend, Deeley realizes that despite the fact that he’s been married to Kate for many years, he doesn’t know much about her life prior to their marriage; he didn’t realize that she and Anna had roomed together for many years, for instance. Once Anna arrives, the three begin to chat about their University days, and various escapades of their youth. It’s only once Deeley and Anna are alone that the past begins to truly reveal itself and the three characters become more intimately intertwined.

The way that Old Times is structured feels odd, but in a Pinteresque way – meaning not in a way in which I wasn’t prepared for going into the production. The show is rife with excruciatingly long pauses and very little dialogue coming from Kate until the final moments of the play. The sexual tension between the characters is palpable; from the smallest movements to rather grand gestures, it’s no secret as to what’s happening during this play. However, it sort of falls into that Young Adult Novel trope of the plain, boring girl who suddenly finds that more than one person is wildly in love with them and begin competing for her affections…just this one has Deeley and Anna caught in an awkward singing battle for Kate’s love. And Kate never really seems to come down on who she’s going to stay with: the play ends with her staring out into the audience with a knowing grin on her face while the other two replay out a traumatic night they’ve unknowingly experienced together as youths. You get the sense that Kate relishes the attention, and therefore is going to keep them both on tenterhooks indefinitely.

The design of this play is as mind-bending as its content. The stage is raked at a noticeable angle, and with two chez longes, a couple of end tables, and an armchair on stage, it’s a wonder things don’t go rolling away. Snezana Pesic’s set design is the polar opposite to what Kate says she’s looking for in a home during the play, increasing the unease of the characters even further. The bare white walls, rigid and imposing furniture make the room look like something out of a magazine, not where someone actually lives. It’s the perfect manifestation of the seeming sterility and coldness between Deeley and Kate. Imogen Wilson’s light design is stunning, not only showing the passage of time as the characters chat, but also helping us understand moments of memory from current actions. The sunset colours in particular play beautifully with the creams, golds, and dark turquoise of the set, so that when the red light appears from the bathroom door it entirely changes the dynamic of the space.

The ever-shifting interplay between the characters of Old Times is deftly navigated by the cast. Though the majority of the play is rather static, just the characters sitting and talking with the occasional bit of movement to get a drink or cigarette, the actors give those calm moments the subtext they require. Both Morris and Young also get to show off their singing chops during their various bits of love songs sung to Majumdar’s Kate. Morris’ uptight and chatty Deeley is a stark contrast to Majumdar’s quiet, yet secretly manipulative Kate; their chemistry throughout the show is very interesting. Young’s Anna adds a vibrant element into the mix, and Young plays the highly competitive nature of her character very well.

Old Times is certainly an interesting start to such a landmark season for Soulpepper Theatre. This thought-provoking and intense play will leave you talking about it long after you’ve left the theatre.

Old Times runs in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts until September 7. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.soulpepper.ca/performances/old-times

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Cover Photo: L to R: Christopher Morris, Jenny Young, and Anita Majumdar. Photo by Dahlia Katz.

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