John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Play Remains Relevant  

by Mary Lou Herlihy

Before the play begins, I chat with the woman next to me. She shares a painful story about her local church where accusations of sexual improprieties resulted in the removal of two priests. In both cases, she believed them to be innocent.

Amidst the turbulent 60’s, social upheaval, and Vatican II reforms, the Catholic Church forced rapid changes. The main character, Sister Aloysius (formidable Katina Psihos Letheule), a Bronx Catholic school principal, is horrified by the changes.

Simple set pieces bathed in low light suggest various church settings: the principal’s office, the chapel, a garden with a bench. Pools of blue light evoke somber sadness. Father Flynn (affable Thomas Hutchinson) represents the new face of the Catholic Church with his casual rapport and long fingernails. With scant evidence, Sister Aloysius campaigns doggedly to expose Father Flynn as a predator.

As the school principal, Letheule, dressed in heavy black robes, communicates the weight of Sister Aloysius’ traditional world. Head coverings shadow her face as she  moves slowly, with determination. She speaks deliberately with words chosen carefully for maximum impact—a mesmerizing performance.

Contrasted with the eager to please young Sister James (buoyant Anna Kosiarek), we sense Sister Aloysius has worked years to achieve such control.

Director Shannon Nicholson’s fast-paced 90 minutes delivers moments of humor, suspense, and anger. The actors inhabit their characters fully. We feel Sister James’ pain as Sister Aloysius criticizes her for not being stern enough with students.

Sister James’ tears leave the principal unmoved. Father Flynn’s easy manner suggests freedoms not afforded the sisters. A lighthearted game of basketball reveals Flynn’s playful rapport with the students, and we feel included, too.

Women hold no power in the Church’s patriarchal pecking order. During a meeting in Sister Aloysius’s office, Father Flynn takes the principal’s chair, asserting his authority. Angered by his gesture, Sister Aloysius struggles to be civil as she offers him tea. When he requests sugar, she is nearly apoplectic. We squirm as Sister Aloysius tries to provoke a confession.

Responding to accusations with outrage, Father Flynn preaches about gossip, a sermon so convincing this ex-Catholic nearly made the sign of the cross. He challenges us to consider the nature of rumors, which spread like “feathers in the wind” and cannot be retracted.

The alleged victim, Donald Muller, remains unseen. As the only Black student in the school, the fifth grader comes into focus through a meeting with his mother, Mrs. Muller (radiant Billie J. Simmons).

Questioning Mrs. Muller, Sister Aloysius peels away layers of the story. Simmons shines as the wise and world-weary mother. Her polite manner and thoughtfully chosen words belie an inner strength, as she shares the unbearable realities of Donald’s young life. Mrs. Muller knows that Donald may be gay. His father beats him for it and at the public school, he’s nearly killed. The Catholic Church offers Donald a lifeline that Simmons makes real for us.

Director Nicholson’s well-cast, well-acted, and simply staged production brings the 2005 Pulitzer prize winning play to life. And while we may still enjoy debating Father Flynn’s guilt, there is NO doubt that young lives continue to be ruined. We are still finding those who are abused, and those who are wrongly accused.

 

“Doubt, a Parable” by John Patrick Shanley, directed by Shannon Nicholson, set by Tom Curtin, costumes by Janice Stephenson, sound by Vince Lucchesi, lighting by Kevin Myrick, at Altarena Playhouse, Alameda, California.

Info: alterena.org – to June 30, 2024.

Cast: Thomas Hutchinson, Anna Kosiarek, Katina Psihos Letheule, and Billie J. Simmons.

Banner photo: Katina Psihos Letheule & Billie J. Simmons.  Photos: Grizzly De Haro