Theater Review—

‘Doubt’ Is Another Good Reason To Attend Theater In New Milford

By Julie Stern

NEW MILFORD — Over the past few years, revelations about sexual abuse by members of the clergy have shaken the foundations of the American Catholic church, and bred a certain cynicism in the minds of many.

This Definitely affects the way audiences react to John Patrick Shanley’s Proof, which, when it opened in 2005, collected both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the Tony Award for Best Play. Local audiences have two more chance to catch a performance at TheatreWorks New Milford, where the work is being produced until Saturday night.

The plot centers around the deep-rooted conflict between the two central characters: Father Brendan Flynn, resident priest at Saint Nicholas Church in the Bronx, who a hip, funny, down-to-earth young guy who seems as comfortable playing basketball with the kids in the gym, as he is giving thoughtful sermons from the pulpit; and Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the middle aged principal of the parish elementary school, who is an old-line traditionalist who despises physical education, art classes and boys.

The year is 1964, a time when the reforms in the Church envisioned by Pope John XXIII when he convened Vatican II have yet to be embraced by many of the rank and file clerics. Father Flynn wants to make the Church more welcoming and accessible to everyone, with more emphasis on God’s Love, and less on sin and punishment.

In contrast, Sister Aloysius wants the children to be terrified of her, because fear will curb what she believes to be their natural bad tendencies.

Caught between the two is a young eighth grade teacher, Sister James, who is being cautioned by the principal for being too enthusiastic and kind to her pupils.

“That is not your job,” Sister ALoysius warns. “If what you want is to be liked, the students will learn to lie to you.”

The discussion turns to Father Flynn. Sister Aloysius has her suspicions about the nature of his relationship with one of the boys. She assigns Sister James to pay close attention, watching for signs of inappropriate behavior.

At this point it seems clear that her insinuations are far-fetched, motivated by her disapproval of his modern ideas and easy friendliness. To the audience, especially those familiar with old line parochial school nuns, Sister Aloysius is a mean and twisted tyrant. Father Flynn, on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air, anxious to instill the advantages of progressive education into the lives of the children and their families.

Except... nothing is ever all that black and white; playwright Shanley allows the story to unfold in a way that we don’t know for sure...

Done without intermission, the play opens with Father Flynn giving a sermon on the anguish of Doubt, in which he describes the pain and loneliness that comes with a loss of religious certainty in times of crisis. For ninety minutes, the audience is caught up in wrestling with the question of what the truth really is, and where the basis of our moral judgment leads. And Shanley gives us no easy answers.

J. Scott Williams gives a wonderful performance as Father Flynn, the kind of idealistic, gently rueful young fellow who would make anyone want to come to church.

Noel Desiato is a fine actress — her performance as Katherine Hepburn in Tea at Five was a show-stopper — but I wish her portrayal of Sister Aloysius was a little less of a caricature. It was hard to see her as a fully dimensional human being, until the end of the play, when, for the first time, she admits to feelings of doubt herself.

Stephanie Jackson gives a stellar performance as Mrs Muller, the mother of the boy whose friendship with the priest becomes the subject of suspicion. Similarly, Jessica Lea Alex does a fine job as the young

teacher who must choose where to place her loyalties.

Doubt is an excellent dramatic work, serious and thoughtful, and it is given a fine interpretation by Theatreworks, New Milford, under the capable direction of Alicia Dempster.

(Remaining performances are Friday and Saturday, July 31-August 1, at 8 pm.

Tickets are $20 and the theater is at 5 Brookside Avenue. Call 860-350-6863 for reservations and directions.)