On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, three juniors will perform the lead roles in the ensemble play "Betrayal," written by Harold Pinter.
"Betrayal" is a psychological drama set in England. It involves a love triangle between a married couple, Robert and Emma, and Robert's best friend Jerry, who is also married. Emma and Jerry engage in a seven-year affair, and when Robert finds out, he cheats on Emma with several other women.
Pinter had several love affairs during his lifetime, which explains his familiarity with the deception that pervades the play. No character is fully honest with another.
Despite its largely conversational structure, "Betrayal" is fraught with tension, much of which comes from the actors' evocative speech and mannerisms. Robert (Wheaton Simis '08) is stiff and uptight, struggling to maintain his calm, authoritative facade. Jerry (Matthew Cohn '08) is boyishly confused. Emma (Olivia Gilliatt '08) is placid and sweet, but gets caught up in the pain caused by an internal tug-of-war between her family and her lover.
Even though there are only three main characters and one minor character (an endearingly amusing Italian waiter played by George Neptune '10), gossip about the character's families, friends and clients makes the cast feel full. At times, the deliberate triviality of the conversation borders on hilarious.
"Betrayal" is in many ways primarily about conversation -- characters reminisce, misremember and argue over details. But the mundane dialogue is simply a veneer for the characters' tumultuous feelings; most of the story is told in the pregnant pauses that flourish in between the words. In one particularly climatic scene, Emma and Robert are having an apparently banal conversation about the incompetence of postal workers, but their sly play of lowered looks and uncomfortable silences conveys much more. At the end of the conversation, Robert guesses that Emma is cheating on him, and a rare, passionate outburst ensues. The unpredictable seesawing from passion to tedium effectively keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.
"I read ['Betrayal'] as a project for my independent study for directing. As soon as I read it, I knew that I wanted to perform it at some point in my life," director Avni Shah '07 said. "It is one of the best plays I have ever read. I think Pinter is an absolute genius.
"I thought the winter was a great time to try such an amazing piece of writing," Shah continued.
"Betrayal" is playing in the Bentley Theater this weekend. Based on the dress rehearsal performance, it promises to be a powerful, poignant experience.
