'The Mousetrap' mesmerizes theatergoers

By C.G. Asmara

JAKARTA (JP): Please don't give away the ending of the play, so that our next audience may enjoy the suspense, pleaded Hayu Sasanit when the curtain came down on The Mousetrap last Saturday night at Erasmus Huis. Don't worry, I won't give away the ending, although the play, directed by The Jakarta Post's desk editor Oei Eng Goan, has now completed its two-night run.

As a play that is often chosen by repertory, university, summer stock, and high school groups, the chances are fairly good that an avid theatergoer will one day see this play. Set in an English Bed-and-Breakfast during a blizzard, the stranded guests and guest house owners become victims and suspects in a grizzly murder plot. Suffice to say Agatha Christie resolves this murder mystery in her usual manner, that, after making everyone seem like a suspect, there is an enlightening turn of events and the true murderer is revealed.

As an alternative to Saturday night's gala fireworks and cultural display honoring Indonesia's 50th Anniversary of Independence, The Mousetrap provided a very sedate, yet entertaining evening. Performed in English, the play drew almost a full house comprised mostly of expatriates, who laughed and clapped their way through the three-hour performance.

Directed in a declamatory manner, with most of the actors directing their dialog towards the audience rather than towards each other, the play took on a particularly British drawing room drama feeling, which was appropriate to the script (although not the most interesting choice) but caused the play to drag a bit near the end.

Unfortunately the set, which was quite shallow, had the furniture placed in a line parallel to the audience, which made for some rather awkward blocking choices. Because of this, one often had the feeling that the characters were not interacting with each other and were sometimes slow picking up their cues.

The actors also paid little attention to developing a full range of physical actions for their characters (having a character light and smoke a cigarette to give them something to do is a tired choice, especially when it is apparent the performer doesn't normally smoke).

Lighting and scene changes would have been more effective if the stage had gone to black, rather than leaving the wall lights on, especially during the murder scene and as the actors entered and exited the stage. Despite this, the general level of the performance was quite good, compared to other plays that have been performed in Jakarta recently.

Handicap

Performing a role in a second language is not easy. The actor is handicapped by pronunciation and by a true comprehension of the meaning of the lines he or she is to deliver. In the case of The Mousetrap, the actors, who are all university students, did a valiant job, and were for the most part very careful in their pronunciation. It was also apparent that their command of English was very good and that there was a true understanding of what they were saying, rather than merely repeating their lines.

While the overall cast was quite strong, a few performances stood out in particular. Although her nervousness was obvious in the beginning, Esty Sutyoko, as Mollie Ralston (owner of the guest house), gradually grew into her part as the play progressed and gave a convincing performance. As a member of Satu Merah Panggung, which is under the direction of Ratna Sarumpaet, she has only been involved in the administrative level up until now, without showing any particular interest in participating as a performer.

It is apparent that she should consider continuing as an actress. Another good performance was given by Aries Purnama as the rather odd but somewhat endearing Christopher Wren, one of the guests and murder suspects. Sandra Tjan as the secretive Miss Caswell reminded me of a sulky version of the film actress Joan Chen, and Hayu Sasanti was so convincingly annoying as Mrs. Boyle that I wished she would be murdered so that she would stop complaining about everything.

Other members of the cast included Syarifuddin as Giles Ralston, Sutopo Yuwono as Major Metcalf, Bonifatius Djoko Pandojo as Mr. Paravicini and Widyartha Hastjarja as Detective Sgt. Trotter. Lighting and sound were provided by Tresna Wulan; prompters were Shita Damayanti and Pini Sri Kurniati; properties by Toni Syah Indra; and sets and make-up by Mohammad Anwar.

While the play lacked a certain overall dynamism, the mystery was well played out until the end, where, unfortunately, the performance level dropped as the acting, blocking and storytelling became rather muddled. However, for those nostalgic for a typical small town repertory or summer stock show, The Mousetrap fit the bill.

With so few theater performances happening in Jakarta recently in any language, efforts like The Mousetrap and especially The Jakarta Post's financial sponsorship should be encouraged.

The writer is a theater critic and a doctorate candidate on theater and art performance at the University of New York.