"Caretaker" on Broadway OnBroadway: Pinter brings characteristic tension to 'The Caretaker' By, Barbara Mehlman For the Poughkeepsie Journal I think of Katisha every time I see a Harold Pinter play. ''I am an acquired taste,'' she says in "The Mikado.'' ''Only the educated palate can appreciate me. ... It takes years to train a man to love me.'' That's how I feel about Pinter. His inscrutable plays have been infuriating audiences for decades and, indeed, it takes years to learn to love him. I myself have had numerous arguments with him, in my head of course, yet I am still drawn to him, the only playwright I can think of who actually has been made into an adjective. In ''The Caretaker,'' now on Broadway with a stellar cast headed by Patrick Stewart, all the Pinteresque fingerprints are there -- the ambiguity, the tension, the menace -- and from the first moment, you sit uneasily in your seat, waiting for something terrible to happen. Difficult existence In this play, Pinter has dropped you into the lives of three hopeless men who live in squalor, a dark claustrophobic room, crammed with broken furniture, an old lawn mower, a rusted bathroom sink, piles of newspaper, odd bits of indescribable junk, and he provides you with no information. Along the way, you learn that Aston has rescued Davies from a pub fight; Mick is Aston's brother and owns the building they're in; and Aston was in a mental institution. After that, if you want, you're on your own to theorize and hypothesize about what might have brought these men to the desperate state in which they live. Like Samuel Beckett, Pinter refuses to give his characters provenance, or provide rational explanations for their actions. So you might just as well sit back and watch what happens without trying to understand. In the rich dialogue, a series of non sequiturs, chopped sentences and threatening insinuations, Pinter creates a series of shifting triangles among the men, each in his turn getting the upper hand, each going cruelly after the other's soft underbelly. They talk to each other, but no one listens, questions remain unanswered. Davies asks, as if he could afford to be fussy, if Aston shares the bathroom with the black man across the hall. Aston responds by noting that he likes to drink his Guinness from a thin glass, not a thick mug. Davies continues, ''If only I could get to Sidcup, I could prove everything.'' In their own worlds, they each have a dream, but you know that Davies will never get to Sidcup, the sad Aston will never build the shed he talks about and Mick will never have the romantic garden he describes in such vivid detail. Stench of authenticity Stewart is an extraordinary Davies, so filthy in his habits, he makes you gag. The smell of his clothes, sweat and urine drops near fill the entire orchestra. For those of you who enjoyed the television series ''Twin Peaks,'' you'll be glad to see Kyle MacLachlan again, this time playing the soft-spoken Aston who, in a single compelling monologue, makes you unafraid for a moment. But it's Aidan Gillen that has the star turn here. As Mick, he gives a dazzling hyperactive performance that makes you wish this British actor would appear more often in America. The credit for this stunning new production, sharply realized with perfect pacing and staging, belongs to director David Jones. See ''The Caretaker'' before it closes on Jan. 4. ON BROADWAY THE CARETAKER ***** (Excellent) Where: American Airlines Theatre, 227 W. 42 St. between Seventh and Eighth avenues. Running Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes, with one intermission. With: Patrick Stewart as Davies; Kyle MacLachlan as Aston; Aidan Gillen as Mick. Playwright: Harold Pinter. Director: David Jones. Set design: John Lee Beatty. Costumes: Jane Greenwood. Lighting: Peter Kaczorowski. Suitability: Adults, clients. Accessibility: Completely accessible. Performances: Tuesday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; matinees, Wednesday, Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m. Tickets: $40-$65; call Roundabout at 1-212-719-1300. Theater: The 733-seat American Airlines Theatre is very comfortable, with plenty of legroom and elevators to take you up to the lounge or down to the wheelchair-accessible restrooms. Take time to inspect the restoration of this exquisite home of the Roundabout Theatre Company. Food: Angus McIndoe (1-212-221-9222) at 258 W. 44th St., is a wonderful new addition to the Theater District, serving upscale pub fare with a touch of Thai. I ordered three appetizers, which included a salad of red endive with toasted pine nuts and slices of Asian pear, a salad of sliced rare sirloin on fresh greens with avocado and a spicy dressing and pork and shrimp shumai. My companion had a rib steak, which he claimed was as good as any he's had at more expensive steak houses. Dessert was a lemon tartlet with a bruleed crust and a warm apple tart. Breakfast is served all day. Service was friendly and fast by young men and women who all looked like aspiring actors. The restaurant has three floors, but if you go after the show, eat on the third floor and celebrity watch. See the menu at www.angusmcindoe.com. Parking: Best garage is the Convention Center Garage on West 42 Street between Ninth and 10th avenues. After 7 p.m., you can park on that street for free. Subway: Any train to Times Square. Questions? Comments? Driving directions? E-mail Barbara Mehlman at barbara.mehlman@verizon.net.