PCT'S DOUBT: A PARABLE

IS CAUTIOUS CAUTIONARY TALE

Theater Babe Says:  Go . . . and Consider the Power of Mere Speculation

With its sparse set and costumes and a plot that relies almost more upon what is not said than what is, John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer and Tony award winning play, Doubt: A Parable, is a challenge for any amateur group to produce.  There’s a lot that’s good about the Peninsula Community Theatre’s current production but because its leading actors do not fully commit to the nuances of the complex characters they portray, this show overall is not as brilliant as it could be.

Set in 1964, Doubt centers upon Sister Aloysius Beauvier, a stern, uncompromising “old-school” nun who is the principal of St. Nicholas, a Catholic school located in the Bronx.  Sister Aloysius dislikes the pastor of St. Nicholas, Father Flynn, and the multi-leveled script provides a variety of potential causes for her antagonism including that he represents the reform within the Catholic Church that was taking place at the time that is at odds with the traditional ways she espouses, her jealousy of the attention and affection he garners from the students of “her” school, the fact that he is a lauded member of the male-centric church hierarchy while she is consigned to a subordinate role despite her age and greater experience, and the possibility that he has engaged in an improper relationship with a student.  Sister Aloysius spreads her suspicion regarding the last through innuendo that may or may not be well-intentioned, and the conflict that arises is the spoke about which the plot turns.

In PCT’s production, the actors in the principal roles do a good job of presenting the basic premise and the pace of the piece is quick and effective.  Director Mike Diana wisely chooses to impose a complete blackout following the house manager’s spiel while a simple acoustic song plays so we have a moment to adjust from the typical pre-show bustle and to settle before the show starts.  That quiet moment reinforces to us the importance of the subject matter to follow and successfully defines the mood before the action ever begins.

As Sister Aloysius, Linda Marley Smith is creditably stern and matter-of-fact, a distinct contrast to the affable Father Flynn portrayed by John Cauthen.  Mr. Cauthen's Father Flynn is engaging and personable, and we believe that he would be popular in a way that Sister Aloysius would not.  However, there is little grit or unease behind this Father Flynn’s geniality and Mr. Cauthen’s interpretation lacks any edginess that would give depth to the character and add real tension to the drama.  Because we never truly believe that Father Flynn might be guilty, here Sister Aloysius is relegated to nothing more than a mean-spirited gossip and Father Flynn’s ultimate decision seems to be made only as a means to avoid the annoyance she creates.  Similarly, Ms. Smith’s Sister Aloysius is so determinedly severe that we do not recognize the fear and protectiveness that, based on the layered script, could be alternative and more empathetic explanations for her actions.  The interpretation presented here works for the most part, but it is more simplistic and less interesting than the material warrants.

Part of the problem may be that there is no strong foil to the opposing forces represented by Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius.  The script is designed so that a younger nun, Sister James, is torn between her platonic fondness for Father Flynn, her respect for Sister Aloysius and the demands of her own instincts.  In this production, Misty Menken’s portrayal of Sister James is believably young and natural, but there is a continual sameness in her performance which glosses over the conflicted tension inherent in the role. 

The standout performance is unquestionably delivered by Nerissa V. Thompson as Mrs. Muller, the mother of the student who is the subject of Father Flynn’s alleged advances.  In her single brief scene, Ms. Thompson generates more energy and tension than is present in the entire first act as she plausibly presents the multi-faceted reasons that Mrs. Muller wants her son to remain at St. Nicholas.  Ms. Thompson skillfully manages to command the stage while her character, a black woman in pre-civil-rights America, plausibly demonstrates both deference and gratitude to the principal who accepted her son as the lone non-white pupil in a school populated with students of Irish or Italian ancestry.  Ms. Thompson’s accomplished portrayal does not shy away from the contradictions written into the role and we understand Mrs. Muller’s pragmatic approach even as we are horrified by it.

The set, designed by Patty Ellison, is in three sections:  a pulpit, Sister Aloysius’s office, and a courtyard outside the church.  Each section is credibly presented and well-utilized by Mr. Diana’s blocking and the austerity of the surroundings subtly emphasizes the seriousness of the drama presented.  In the same way, the costumes by Julie Perkoski are authentic and period-appropriate.

A single misstep occurs in the costuming and set dressing which is a jarring note in what is otherwise an amazingly accurate depiction of the time and place.  During Father Flynn’s initial sermon, his vestments and the pulpit cloth are in the green color that is customarily used in a Catholic service during much of the year.  Later in the show, his vestments and the pulpit cloth are inexplicably blue – a color that is not used for those items by the Catholic Church.  Because the colors that are used (green, white/gold, purple or red) are symbolically significant, the choice to use a completely different color suddenly reminds us that this is a theatrical production and it undermines the genuineness that the scene and costumes create during the rest of the play.  It is a minor error which unnecessarily weakens the show’s credibility.

Bottom line?  With the notable exception of Nerissa V. Thompson’s extraordinary portrayal of Mrs. Muller, the PCT production of Doubt: A Parable does not embrace the full complexity of the material, but the basic plot is satisfactorily presented and as a whole this production is worth the time and the ticket price.

Performances run thru May 12^th, Friday – Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

at the Peninsula Community Theatre,

10521 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, Virginia 23601.

Tickets are $16 and can be obtained by

calling the box office at (757) 595-5728 or online at pctlive.org.

© 2013 Hampton Roads Theater Babe. All Rights Reserved.