This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on May 30, 2017

If you’re fortunate enough to have already acquired tickets for Betrayal, an ongoing Harold Pinter play at Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac), download Shazam to your phone first. This mobile app identifies any piece of music that’s being played and will even download them for you — and this is the best way to showcase the foot-tapping soundtrack to which Betrayal is set. Betrayal is not a musical, but director Joe Hasham has used some of the best rock music from the 70s to set the scene for the play, which is set during the same time period. This includes music from The Rolling Stones, and fittingly, Eric Clapton’s Layla.

The music is not something specified in Pinter’s original text, but is Hasham’s ingenious way to demarcate the scenes according to the years in which it is occurring — the British playwright wrote Betrayal in reverse, chronicling an affair Emma has with Jerry, her husband’s best friend. It begins with Emma and Jerry reminiscing, and ends with the circumstances surrounding the start of the affair — a party at Emma and Robert’s home.

A video montage of compelling imagery consisting of pictures and newspaper headlines from the decade starts to play — with The Rolling Stones’ Paint it Black in the background – to further set the tone. Hasham’s stunning sets also pay tribute to the particular style sensibilities of the era, with period-sensitive furniture cleverly arranged into ceiling-height cut-outs that leave a central area free. A remarkably clever use of space, I thought, as klpac’s Indicine is rather small and Betrayal does in fact plays out in several locations.

Dominique Devorsine’s thoughtfully chosen costumes complete the picture, replete with painfully high-waisted trousers, bristly tweed jackets and bold paisley shirts that one would typically associate with 1970s Britain. Emma looks particularly fetching in a flare peach skirt and fitted white shirt in one scene, although that glow could also come from the joy of seeing Jerry again after a long break.

Betrayal stars Stephanie Van Driesen as Emma, Razif Hashim as Jerry and Omar Ali as Robert, and they speak in charmingly British accented English — it is a delight to hear the elegant and masterful way Pinter’s lines are delivered. Razif’s portrayal is especially likeable, and very believable as a man in love with his own wife, but who cannot seem to resist the charm of his best friend’s admittedly attractive spouse, with whom he also has intellectual similarities. Omar plays a stiff and stoic Robert, and you are torn between feeling sorry for the man and extremely annoyed at his typically British upper lip. Indeed, can one possibly blame Emma for straying, that too with the delightfully charming Jerry?

The strength of the acting is visible from the get-go — Hasham has cast Betrayal incredibly well. The opening act, when Emma confesses to Jerry that her marriage to Robert is finished over a drink long after their affair has ended, is delightfully awkward exchange between two people who have a history and who are struggling to hold back the affection they actually feel for each other.

Van Driesen’s varied expressions, casting aspersions with a simple nod or indicating her disgust with a pointed glance is incredible, and the way she masks her emotions — expected of women at the time — is simply amazing. Emma is polished yet akin to the occasional swig of vodka straight from the bottle, and Van Driesen captures that duality very well.

The pity one feels for Robert very quickly dissipates as it emerges that he has known of the affair for a long time, and simply chooses to be quiet about it. When Jerry and Robert discuss the affair and which point it is common knowledge, it is most uncomfortable and even makes me squirm in my seat because it is a revelation of the depth of their betrayals — to each other, and to their wives. Another scene that almost makes me want to close my eyes is when Robert confronts Emma, and she has no choice but to admit to it — he slowly teases the truth out of her, and in tears, she confesses.

Yes, Robert is a bit of a jerk, make no mistake — while he is well aware that Jerry is sleeping with Emma in an apartment that they share, he continues to have lunch with his best friend and make all sorts of veiled statements and underhanded remarks in their presence. While the obvious sentiment here is pity for Robert, the way he behaves upon finding out about it makes it very hard to be on his side.

Jerry and Emma on the other hand — it must be said, the chemistry between Van Driesen and Razif is a key anchor of the play ­— are the crowd favourites. Girlish and gregarious Emma, glib and intense Jerry; they are much better matched, and as I painfully watch them break up, I am horrified to find that I am rooting for them to stay together, despite the fact that their affair has come to a natural end.

Interestingly, Betrayal was also staged in Bahasa Malaysia on alternate nights, acted by the same cast. It attracts a very different audience, understandably — the weeknight that I attended, I was joined by scores of young university students. The music, sets, props and costumes were exactly the same, only the script — adapted and written by Omar himself — was different. The language didn’t aim to be overly purist, and instead, was in the manner that your average middle-class spoken Bahasa Malaysia. The accent is authentic, the language peppered with colloquial phrases like lantaklah and interspersed with English — it was familiar and easy on the ears.

Van Driesen’s delivery came across as a touch rehearsed, but it was incredibly noteworthy bearing in mind it isn’t her first language, the accent not always easy to master. Razif and Omar are as fluent and flawless in Bahasa Malaysia as they are in English, and their delivery was a joy to watch. That being said, the acting was wonderful all around — there were several moments during the play in which any sort of speech was superfluous, and it was the actors’ astounding abilities that carried these moments through so beautifully.

Indeed, there is an earnestness in the Bahasa Malaysia version of Betrayal that I hadn’t even noticed was missing in the English version. The language change almost acts like an intensifier — Betrayal is also funnier in Bahasa Malaysia, Robert comes off as even more sarcastic and Jerry appears to be even more besotted with Emma. A friend suggests it is because I am watching the play for the second time, and while I cannot say this is entirely untrue, I stand by my take that the nuanced and poetic nature of Bahasa Malaysia — not to mention, Omar’s masterful writing — somehow elevated the entire experience.

Despite it’s relatively long run, many people haven’t seen Betrayal and for that reason I can only hope that klpac sees fit to restage it — both in Bahasa Malaysia and English. This is gritty, honest and evocative theatre that Kuala Lumpur needs more of.

Betrayal runs until June 6 at Indicine, klpac, Jalan Strachan, off Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Kuala Lumpur and then moves on to the Penang Performing Arts Centre, Jalan Seri Tanjung Pinang, Seri Tanjung Pinang, Pulau Pinang from June 16 and 17. Tickets are RM60, visit www.ticketpro.com.my to purchase.