Pinter’s Mystery

“The Collection” is an early Pinter work. Yet it contains the hallmarks, if less subtley, of later Pinter masterpieces, such as “The Homecoming,” “No Man’s Land” and “Betrayal.” It’s almost a writing exercise, in which the various possibilities of infidelity — in fact and in fancy — are explored geometrically. A wife may, or may not, have been unfaithful with another, probably gay, man. He in turn may, or may not, have been unfaithful to his much older, presumed lover. Aglet’s production lets us be surprised by Pinter’s humor; his insinuating, persistent sexual innuendo; constant role reversal and outbursts of anger; near violence and fear of loss; and his view of women as the ultimate victors, the enigmatic characters in ultimate control. If this reading at Berkshire Theater Festival’s Unicorn Theater March 26 took a while to warm up and if at first director Thomas Gruenewald overdid Pinter’s famous pauses and silences, it was soon delivering Pinter’s carefully chosen words tersely yet smoothly. As Harry, the older man, Kale Brown has fine moments of hurling lines at his presumed lover or of trying to deflect James, the suspicious, maybe-cuckolded husband. Jim Beaudin makes James a man of potential menace as well as of possible sexual ambiguity. David Joseph’s Bill is quite good, all superficiality and surface, glib and obviously attracted to James. Stephanie Hedges as Stella the wife, has the most difficult role since there is little to it: few words, unfinished paragraphs, little to do. Yet she alone, like the stronger Pinter women to come, seems at the end to know the truth. Aglet shows us how fascinating even minor Pinter is. “The Collection” will be repeated at TriArts’ Bok Gallery April 2. Wine and snacks are served at 7 p.m., and the performance begins at 7:30. Tickets are $20 and can be reserved at 860 435-6928 or online at www.aglettheater.net.