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'Doubt' an intense, tight drama

Lindsay Christians  —  9/07/2008 5:42 pm

The world of "Doubt: A Parable" at first appears to be nearly colorless. The nuns wear black and white, the priest wears black and gray. The only spots of tint to be seen are a few roses draped around a cross and the occasional blue draping of the priest's robes.

But soon the characters begin to spar with each other, sparks fly and the stony imagery is all but forgotten. Such is the skill of the Strollers Theatre players and the power of John Patrick Shanley's "parable."

It is 1964 at a Catholic school in the Bronx, and Sister Aloysius (Judy Kimball) heads it with a steely and suspicious gaze. Aloysuis is wary of one teacher in particular, Father Flynn (R. Peter Hunt), a charismatic young priest popular with his superiors as well as the students. When the guileless Sister James (Stacie Hanson) discovers alcohol on the breath of the school's first (and only) black student on his return from a meeting with Father Flynn, Sister Aloysius descends, talons bared.

The tiny Evjue stage, also known as "downstairs" at the Bartell, has been divided into threes -- three banks of the audience, three harsh lines, one striking triangle at the center of this tight little drama. Director Miranda McClenaghan has honed the action to only 75 minutes with no intermission, making "Doubt" sharp, pointed and intense.

"Innocence can only be wisdom in a world without evil," Sister Aloysius says. As the avenging sister, Kimball masterfully balances the nun's self-righteous pursuit of Father Flynn with a genuine humanity. Reading the play, Aloysius seems impossible to like, but Kimball infuses a harsh character with moments of humor, if little compassion. Aloysius is a "fierce moral guardian" but also someone whose sacrifice Kimball will not let us ignore.

Hunt's Father Flynn is a match for her in every way, resorting to threats, table-pounding and indignant denials when cornered. Watching these two together is exhilarating; their performances appear mentally exhausting. Hunt exposes both the charisma and the cunning that might have -- just maybe -- lured a lonely young boy into his clutches. His "sermons" could be transplanted into church on Sunday morning without a word or inflection changed.

Hanson as Sister James is a weaker performer, perhaps due to her proximity to two such strong ones. She's all blinking innocence, eyes open wide like a Kewpie doll, but her character remains strangely static. She doesn't come alive until she's pushed into a confession by Sister Aloysius.

Finally, Merrin Guice is well-cast as the boy's mother, called into Aloysius' office for a conference. Guice's short scene is taut with tension as she turns Aloysius' logic back on itself.

The play's major challenge, the three-cornered stage, may well be deliberate. When two characters are arguing, no matter where one sits, one face is in view and one is turned away. It's frustrating, but it echoes the pervasive uncertainty that remains at the end of the play. We want answers, we want to see each person's genuine face, but Shanley and director McClenaghan offer no neat verdict.

"The truth makes a bad sermon," Father Flynn says. "It tends to be confusing and have no clear conclusion." "Doubt," then, is indeed a bad sermon -- thankfully, it's an excellent play.

IN THE BOX

Strollers Theatre, Ltd. presents "Doubt: A Parable" by John Patrick Shanley on weekends through Sept. 27. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays with an additional matinee each Saturday at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for general admission. For reservations call 661-9696 ext. 2.

Lindsay Christians  —  9/07/2008 5:42 pm