The Betrayal That Was A Good Thing

Written by Harold Pinter, Betrayal was a riveting play in all senses. It is rich and replete with familiar sticky situations borne out of the necessary ordinariness seemingly predestined and thus, so predominant (and so, inescapable) in life. The play belongs to the complex love genre in which the human psyche is stripped raw to reveal the intensely personal and ugly desires (I really mean lust here) that I so adore and would write myself. Obsessing over the delicate folds and delicious falls in relationships, Betrayal showcases the intrigue, intimacy and impact of a long-drawn seven-year affair between one man, his wife and his best friend, told in reverse chronological order. There is no other bigger picture or theme than the clandestine relations between the characters.

Emma is the doomed romantic that the two men cannot bear to love, too long or too hard. We see her now, cold, controlled and waning as the play begins in the present, before harking back to sweeter times of attachment during which her initial unreserved warmth, passion and genuinely affectionate nature surface. She’s the only person pursuing some ideal of an ideal love that both men fail to give in their legitimate and illegitimate rights.

The Singapore rendition has Shabana Azmi perfectly poised as the elegant Emma, with a lovely wardrobe to match and die for. Peter Friedman is Jerry, and Simon Jones is Robert, the two men who are found very wanting indeed. As far as their characters are concerned, that is. I have no bones to pick about the trio’s nuanced and restrained craft – Betrayal lived up to pre-conceived expectations and the professionalism of the cast added to my enjoyment of the play.

Beautante (obviously pseudo to protect her identity) was my companion for the play and the rest of the night. True to her name, our rendezvous, long overdue by a year and more, was 美丽 and 安详. We have weathered through some ridiculous situations, be it apart or together, at work and in our personal lives. We are not exactly at peace now, with her doing her Masters and me carving out a career the best that we can, but we have been through worse.

那是多久后的事了
有一天你突然问我
在那个时候是否也爱着他

I thank the person who brought us together through his singular act of betrayal, and I try to think well of him, if he ever crossed the mind, that he did redeem himself somewhat, albeit unknowingly. Beautante may protest and disagree but I do feel that he is the one who made all the difference in our relationship by making that decision. Dear 美丽安详的女人, it could have been so much worse on hindsight. We may lose each other’s brilliant company. Like you said, it’s all water under the bridge now but I acknowledge his importance in that sense and to some extent, I believe neither of us can ignore the spectre of him - having an always ghostly presence/absence, however slight and slighted. He is no longer, but you will always be, and for that, I am grateful. Our friendship has emerged triumphant over a person who is unable to handle issues and closures maturely, despite all his intellectual discourses and veins.

我也很想他 我们都一样在他的身上曾找到翅膀
只是那时的他 是因为你他开始飞翔
我也很想他 在某个地方我少了尴尬你少了肩膀
而夏天还是那么短 思念却很长

I must confess when this song first came out in her latest album, even though it’s no longer applicable in many ways, and talking liberties with the narrative in so many ways, I did think of us, whenever the song is played.

还记得那年我们三人许下的愿望
星星骗了我们 我们却因此上了一课
成长必修的学分我们都一样