This play revolves around an elderly married couple where the husband, Andy is lying on his deathbed. His wife Bel sits by his side and treats him with ironic compassion. Apparently it has been her attitude throughout their marriage in which she cheated on him with his best friend and vice versa, as he was adulterous with her closest friend, who was seemingly also Bel’s lover. Both friends arrive to pay him a last visit, though they only seem to lie about the fact that he is dying.
With regards to their children, the two sons are too busy with their own dodgy affairs and are oblivious Bel’s phone messages. The daughter both begins and ends the play and she may even be dead. When she talks, she talks of how she was the one who got all the love from the parents.
Even if the situation for Andy and his family is somewhat sad and dreary, Pinter narrates it most grippingly with a strong wit and catching poetry.
Duration: 1 hour a 15 minutes.
