Great art provokes questions.
In John Patrick Shanley’s play “Doubt: A Parable,” he raises many and answers none. That is why his 90-minute one-act is a perfect work of art.
New Surry Theatre’s production beautifully captures every nuance the playwright intended and gives no hint that there is any other state of being in which humans can exist except doubt. Performed in the Blue Hill Town Hall Theater, the show is a window into the past while at the same time reflecting the uncertainty many Americans are feeling during this long presidential campaign.
Set in a Catholic elementary school in 1964, Shanley touches on the societal changes on the horizon include those of the civil rights, feminism, sexual and secular movements. Written in 2004, a short time after the clergy sexual abuse scandal rocked many Catholic dioceses in the country, “Doubt” is the story of one nun’s crusade to see that a priest she believes has behaved improperly with an altar boy is removed from the parish. Sister Aloysius Beauvier has no proof — just her certainties.
Veronica Young is fierce as parish school principal Sister Aloysius. In her wimple and long black habit, she strides across the stage knowing what is best for each student in her care and the younger nuns she mentors. She appears to be a stereotypical sister, but Young digs deep to reveal the woman’s struggling soul.
Young’s performance is so formidable that it is only after the curtain call, on the drive home, that theatergoers realize what a richly layered and subtle performance she’s pulled off.
Sister James is the young, starry-eyed, dedicated nun caught between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn, the suspected priest. Nina Robinson-Poole is the perfect foil for Young. The younger actress slowly reveals Sister James’ spine as she challenges the views of her superior. The actress delightfully shows how faith and doubt can and do coexist in a joyous performance.
Patrick Harris portrays Father Flynn as the future of the Catholic Church, post Vatican II. The priest has no idea why Sister Aloysius is after him. At first he underestimates her but ekes out victory in the end.
Harris gives a carefully balanced performance that never definitively answers the question of whether Father Flynn is a sexual predator or not. The actor walks that tightrope effortlessly without faltering once.
As Mrs. Muller, the mother of the school’s only African-American student (Flynn’s suspected victim), Amy Bramblett is the least experienced performer onstage. Yet, she makes that work for the character, and the actress’ uncertainty becomes the character’s.
Bramblett also makes clear that Mrs. Muller, clad in her Sunday best, including hat and gloves, is speaking and behaving in a way she most likely would not with her neighbors. While the audience may not be comfortable with how the woman feels about her son being a possible victim of sexual abuse, Bramblett clearly and powerfully conveys Mrs. Muller’s convictions.
Director Rebecca Poole is true to Shanley’s clear vision that the only certainties are death and doubt. She understands the playwright’s silences convey as much to the audience as his dialogue does. Directors of other productions and the film version of “Doubt” have each chosen to emphasize one of Shanley’s topics — race, sexual abuse, power, faith — over another. But Poole give each topic equal emphasis, which allows the audience to see the rich tapestry Shanley has woven.
New Surry Theatre over the years has challenged itself and its audience with Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons,” Bertolt Brecht’s “The Threepenny Opera,” Brian Friel’s “Dancing at Lughnasa” and many others. With this production of “Doubt,” the company once again has shown it is a community-based arts organization willing to take risks and skilled enough to make it look effortless.
New Surry Theatre’s production of “Doubt: A Parable” will be performed through July 9 at the Blue Hill Town Hall Theater, 18 Union St. For ticket information, call 200-4720 or visit the company’s Facebook page.