Pinter's Birthday Party packs in surprises

Rumaan Alam

If being back in Oberlin isn't odd enough, there's a touch of the surreal going up this weekend. The Oberlin Student Theater Association presents Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party, directed by junior Aaron Schmookler.

Technically, the production is well-conceived. The set is lovely; Schmookler's first attempt at set design is a success. The clean lines and simple elegance of the set and the costumes fit nicely into the dignified Wilder Main, which is transformed into what feels like a classic old theater. The lighting, by senior Julianne Keenan, is also effectively done.

The only troublesome technical aspect of the show are the sound effects, which are very intrusive. To replicate the seaside atmosphere, we hear waves throughout the opening scene. No actor needs that kind of competition. Rather than creating atmosphere, they divert the attention of both audience and cast, and even annoy after a while. The simplicity and traditional feel of these elements present a nice contrast to the at times surreal feel of the play itself.

The cast deals well with the enigmatic characters for which Pinter is famous. One of the challenges of the play is making some sense out of the relationships between the characters, a crucial point in the interpretation of any role. One might hesitate at the idea of students attempting a production of this play, but the cast never seems too daunted by the difficult material.

Any kind of synopsis is difficult with this play, but the action of the play concerns a couple who own a seaside rooming house and their mysterious guest, who has been living there long enough to feel like one of the family. Things turn strange when two other guests arrive.

Sophomore Blythe Phillips plays Meg, the happy and perhaps insane woman of the house. Phillips is weak in the opening scene, where she seems a bit overwhelmed. She's difficult to hear over the sound of crashing waves. But as the action progresses, so does Phillips. She is wonderful in the climactic party scene, and though Meg remains a mystery, Phillips performance is one of the strengths of the production.

As the mysterious visitors, junior Ben Esner and sophomore Fedje Tangen-Donnelly are very strong. Esner, as Mr. Goldberg, is particularly good, loud and authoritative, impeccably dressed, and somehow very frightening. He tends to steal most of his scenes. Tangen-Donnelly, though, is a good counterpart to him. Cast in a role originally written for a man, she has no trouble being convincing as the hardened and cynical McCann. She has a wonderful presence, and even her silence is frightening. There is a definite chemistry between the two, and as the audience sees more of their interactions, the relationship between the two becomes more and more bizarre, but always believably so.

Stanley, played by first-year Patrick Mulryan, is in many ways the heart of the play, though he never arises as the star of the show. It is difficult to say whether this is the nature of the role or of Mulryan's performance. In any case, he does not feel strong enough, and in the early scenes, where the audience ought to most feel who Stanley is, he is lost. This is unfortunate, since Stanley is the link between the visitors and the residents of the house. Therefore, much of the play's power depends on how well Stanley is played. And unfortunately, this is one of the weaker points of the play.

Rounding out the cast are sophomore Patrick Hughes as Petey, Meg's husband and the owner of the house, and first-year Molly Benson as Lulu, a woman whose relationship to the characters is never quite explained. Hughes is funny throughout the play, in a quiet sort of way, an almost lighthearted character amid the seriousness of the action of the play. There are a number of well-thought out touches Hughes brings to his performance.

Benson, as Lulu, is also strong in her limiting and unexplained role. She is sensual and exciting in the birthday party scene, which is probably the scene which sees the most strong performances by the cast. In the second act as well, after Lulu has undergone a complete transformation, Benson is truly affecting.

Though the title of the play may lead one to think that the birthday party scene is the heart of the action, the play is so brief and mysterious that every scene is crucial. Though the birthday party scene is very well done, one can't help but wish the director had focused as much on the opening scene. Its slow pace may bore some reluctant audience members. There are other moments as well where the action lags. But in general, the script itself is so engaging that audience members can't help but get caught up in the action.

This play is also difficult in that the ending does little to explain anything about the play as a whole. Audiences will no doubt hang on to the end out of sheer curiosity, but there is no revelation in the last act. This play is challenging to actors and audience alike, and one hopes that both parties will rise to the challenge.

The Birthday Party runs tonight and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. in Wilder Main. Tickets are $3 at Wilder desk, $1 more at the door.