Theatre Arts play is entertaining

Theatre Arts actors betrayed each other last night on the Annenberg Studio Theatre stage. The opening night of the play Betrayal brought much laughter from its audience, both in places where it seemed expected and where it was unexpected. The play was entertaining and, for the most part, well executed. Betrayal, by Harold Pinter, is about a classic love triangle. Husbands and wives, best friends and best men betray each other. No one is immune from becoming betrayer or betrayed. The main strengths of Betrayal are the intricate relationships and lines exchanged between the actors. Pinter's dialogue is strikingly realistic and accurately portrays a moving and tragic drama with a bit of humor mixed in. Little action takes place throughout the play, and the actors are constantly sipping oddly off-colored alcohol in various rooms that are similar in apppearance. It often seemed that only the pillows on the perpetually present couch changed from scene to scene. Betrayal is a relatively short play performed in one act. The scenes take place out of chronological order. Although this element is intriguing, one sometimes gets the sense that the play is not going anywhere. But perhaps this is the point. The blame and betrayal of such an intricate triangle can do nothing but oscillate back and forth in the same multi-dimensional circle. The play, which was written to take place in Pinter's native Britain, was adopted by director and Wharton senior Jennifer Platzkere to a New York setting. The transformation seemed successful despite a couple of awkward residual British phrases and an the presence of an Indian Italian restaurant (which could never be found even in New York) which betrayed the script's origins. College freshman Joanna Goldman did an outstanding job in her role as Emma, a married woman who betrays her husband with his best friend, played by College senior Seth Shulman. Peter Parolin, a graduate student, also performed exceptionally well as Emma's duplicitous husband, Robert. It is worth going to see Betrayal if only to witness Parolin's artful rendering of Robert's lines. Each of his words was laden with the multiple meanings of the not-so-naive and scheming betrayed spouse and friend. College sophomore Sumeet Goel, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, was highly entertaining in a small part as the maladroit waiter in the Italian Indian restaurant. He played the perfect straight man as he mispronounced the names of Italian dishes and nearly stuck a cork up an actor's nose. Betrayal provides an entertaining, humorous and thought-provoking break from studying. Its performance continues Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Annenberg Studio Theatre. Tickets are $5 and are available on Locust Walk and at the door.

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