Theater review: 'Betrayal' -- 2.5 stars

If the mind-boggling rumors are true, tickets to Mike Nichols' revival of Harold Pinter's 1978 relationship drama "Betrayal," starring married couple Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz as another married couple, are being sold by scalpers for thousands of dollars.

If you're lucky, maybe you can snag an orchestra seat at the box office for just under $150.

Although the unemotional, uneventful drama is one of the most accessible titles in the esteemed Pinter canon, any play of his requires an acquired taste in difficult, postwar English drama.

"Betrayal" exposes audience members to an affair between Emma (Weisz) and Jerry (Rafe Spall), who happens to be the best friend of Emma's husband Robert (Craig), through a series of scenes played out in reverse from 1977 to 1968.

Nichols' gloomy production features huge scenic pieces that fly up and down in between scenes, uncomfortably dwarfing this intimate drama.

But the real problem lies in the fact that Nichols never really captures the elusive spark of mystery found in the best Pinter revivals, such as the 2007 Broadway staging of "The Homecoming" and "The Caretaker" with Jonathan Pryce, which played BAM last year.

Weisz and Spall offer fine, subtle performances, while Craig occasionally gets to show off a considerably more relaxed air and ends up being the liveliest of the trio.