Test of faith

Set in a Catholic church school in New York’s The Bronx in 1964, Doubt is the story of one nun’s crusade against evil. The question posed by the play is not just whether the end justifies the means, but whether the outcome is truly a triumph of faith. The best of intentions cannot guarantee a good outcome for everyone.

The set is a triumph of minimalism. A crypt like building is set back into the dark cavernous stage. There are two doors in the building. Door number one produces a rose garden. Out of door number two rolls Sister Aloysius’s office, where most of the action takes place.

Sister Aloysius (Flowers) is a strict, old-fashioned nun, who believes in looking after the children in her care, but from a distance. She is wryly honest, with a wicked sense of humour. But she is sandpaper to Sister James’s fragile sensibilities. Sister James (Alison Bell) feels belittled and diminished by Sister Aloysius’s constructive criticism of her teaching style. Sister James believes in warmth, friendship and nurturing. The popular Father Flynn (Christopher Gabardi), who believes in friendliness and fun, completes this holy trinity of religious players.

Sister Aloysius, the Principal of the School, has no doubt whatsoever that Father Flynn’s relationship with a young male student is inappropriate. She wouldn’t mind being wrong about Father Flynn, but she doubts she is. Sister James has enough doubts for the both of them. When Sister Aloysius accuses Father Flynn of interfering with the child, he vehemently and angrily denies the charge. What follows is a tug of war, with Sister James in the middle. The uneasy relationship between Sister Aloysius and Sister James is fertile ground for Father Flynn to plough and sow seeds of distrust and doubt.

The triumph of this play is its subtleties. Relationships are complicated things with myriad layers. Rather than help clear things up, discussion in such matters often confuses things even more. The script is masterful in how it steers the audience through the murky territory of the subject matter, so that you’re never sure what the truth is. The script manufactures doubt. It does not allay it. You don’t know what to believe. Like Sister James, you don’t want it to be true. You want the truth and you want proof before you’ll believe. You won’t take it on faith alone. As a result, Sister Aloysius becomes a figure to admire and revile at the same time. Not just because she is a crusader, but because her faith in her beliefs sets her apart and above those around her. You want her to be wrong. In the end she isn’t, but this does not vindicate her. In the ultimate irony, confirmation of her suspicions brings Sister Aloysius no peace. Just the opposite.

The script is big on metaphor. At various times throughout the play, usually in Father Flynn’s speeches, parables about doubt and its effects are told. About how distress can be isolating. How, if you turn to someone for help and are rebuffed, that feeling of isolation is amplified. Doubt, Shanley tells us, can be as powerful as certainty. Then there’s Father Flynn’s basketball speech about how doubts can sabotage success when you’re shooting hoops from the foul line.

Jennifer Flowers is superb as the complex Sister Aloysius, who believes there is a place for everything. She also believes everything should be put in its place. But behind her gruff exterior, Sister Aloysius is actually a big softy, trapped in the body of a realist. The kids come first. Getting them through their adolescence with their soul intact, if not their virginity, is important to her. Even more important is to help them grow. “What good is the gift if it’s left in the box?” she asks Sister James.

Christopher Gabardi is great as the charming Father Flynn. His personable and endearing manner hides a monster. Unfortunately not all monsters look monstrous. But just because he’s got a pretty face, doesn’t mean he has a pretty heart.

Father Flynn is the wolf stalking the sheep and Sister Aloysius is determined to rid the parish of him. But she doesn’t have the support of the boy’s mother, played with dignified fatalism by Pamela Jikiemi. How Sister Aloysius goes about getting the results she believes are necessary is controversial. Only one thing is sure - life is messy and things are not always as they seem, especially if you’re a whistleblower.

Doubt is definitely worth a look. Great script, great cast and a subject that, unfortunately, is eternally socially relevant.

Philippa Wherrett

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Doubt

Company: Melbourne Theatre Company in association with Sydney Theatre Company
Venue: Playhouse, VAC, Melbourne
Dates: April 5 - May 13, 2006