DOUBT: A PARABLE

REVIEW BY CELIA IPIOTIS

Rarely do questions of right and wrong trip up the Bronx Catholic School Principal Sister Aloysius (Amy Ryan) in the revival of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt: A Parable at the Todd Haines Theater. Tied to a moral compass with only two settings, right and wrong, Sister Aloysius’ uncompromising morality radar spins out of control when the new pastor with progressive ideas arrives.

In an attempt to draw more people back into the church’s embrace, the Catholic Church reverted from Latin to English during mass and invited a more casual relationship with the parishioners embracing guitars next to organs and an intermingling of the masses with religious leaders.

Glasses propped on her nose, Sister Aloysius’s pinched mouth snaps out words in a monotone, staccato stream. A minimalist, she barely moves her rigid body and when she smiles, lips thinly stretch side to side. 

Called into her spare office (sets by John Rockwell)  for a “talk”, the young teacher, Sister James (Zoe Kazan) encounters her boss’s uncompromising  view of pedagogical practices. Open and accommodating, Sister James wants her students to  enjoy learning and finds ways to engage them in the learning process. 

The idea of fun and study in bed together riles Sister Aloysius and through a prisoner style interrogation, manipulates the woefully naive Sister James into questioning her teaching methods, functionally pushing Sister James to  distance herself from her students.

But there’s another, more pressing issue eating away at Sister Aloysius and that’s the new pastor. Casual and open, the strapping Father Flynn (Liev Schreiber), meets the metal spined Principal in a clash of ideologies. Where he’s loose in his body, she’s rigid. And before even acquainting herself with Father Flynn, Sister Aloysius’ dark imagination roams free and wild, convicting him of the unspoken fear.

Canny and quick witted, Father Flynn readily recognizes her controlling stake. Yet, in 1964 when the play is set, the men have close to total control over the women in the Catholic Church, so the threat is marginally minimized by the organizing structures.

With a deft brush, Shanley handlily introduces the characters poised on a trajectory of spiritual destruction. Effectively converting Sister James into an informant, Sister Aloysius finally hears something disturbing. One of the young 8th grade boys–the only Black student, Donald Muller– smelled of liquor after returning from the rectory.

Sister James apprehensively suspects the new priest of questionable conduct. Sister Aloysius takes it even further surmising Father Flynn administered the wine to the young man to make him more malleable for ulterior, sexual motives. Of course, when confronted, Father Flynn simply states he ushered the boy back to class after catching him drinking the altar wine. 

In one of the most stirring scenes, the match is set when Sister Aloysius calls in Mrs. Muller (impressively performed by the understudy Christian Clark) to discuss her son’s conduct and his possible removal from the school–according to Aloysious — for his own good. Suddenly, racial inequities nearly smother Aloysius’ single-file understanding of people, race, cast and class. The mother drops a reality bombshell that sums up Sister Aloysious’ human miscalculations.

Scott Ellis directs the dramatic volleys like a nail-biting tennis match. Compact and potent, Shanley’s text clarifies the incongruities of personal beliefs leaving the audience challenged by a resolution that intentionally allows ambiguity to reign.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis