Review: DOUBT, A PARABLE at KC United Church Of Christ

Kansas City Actors Theater presents an exceptional production of DOUBT, A PARABLE by John Patrick Shanley in the unexpected, but perfectly selected sanctuary of the Kansas City United Church of Christ in the Brookside area.

DOUBT is definitely a play worth going out of your way to see.  Not only is this an excellent drama, but this cast and this director, Gary Heisserer, are outstanding with this material.  The play won the Tony Award for best play in 2005 when it was first produced on Broadway, and it also bagged the Pulitzer Prize for drama in the same year.

This remarkably balanced cast is likewise a group worth going out of your way to see.  The notion of performing it in the sanctuary of an active church is inspired.  The spare style of direction enhances the effect while respecting the sanctity of the location.  The audience sits as if the congregation in the pews.  You soon forget you are seeing a play.  The scene changes with minimal props are introduced by a single crew member carefully blocked as a character in the play.

The time is 1964 and/or 1965 at a reasonably large (probably walled) church property (with parish church, grammar school, rectory, and convent) called St. Nicholas in the Bronx section of New York City overseen by the Sisters of Charity. 

Principal of the church school is an old school nun, Sister Aloysious (Kathleen Warfel).  Sister rules her minions, both students and staff, in a manner that inspires fear, loathing, and mistrust.  To her, this is normal.  She is the nun I always heard about who ruled the roost with her yardstick… smack over the knuckles of her student’s hands.

I remember a one-liner that applies.  The Jews may have invented guilt, but the nuns of the Catholic church perfected the idea and raised it to an art form.

The play begins with Father Brendon Flynn (Matt Schwader) delivering his weekly sermon.  The subject is Uncertainty. “Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty,” he says.  Father Flynn has become a beloved member of the community; a progressive churchman who takes to heart the message of the Second Vatican Council.   

There is a lot going on in the Catholic Church about this time.  The modernizing, multi-year, Second Council is just concluding. Sexual misbehavior by certain priests and worse, the actions by many archdioceses to hide the offenses are coming to public attention.  It is verboten for an individual priest or nun to meet without a third-party present.  A priest who meets with a student alone is automatically suspect.

Sister James (Christina Schafer) is a young teacher of an eighth grade, consolidated classroom.  She is recently taught and brimming with the typical enthusiasm of a young educator. 

Sister Aloysious makes her philosophy starkly clear.  She doesn’t seem to like or trust anyone.  She dislikes staff involvement with their students.  Music, Art, History, and Physical Education are wastes of time.  It is clear she disagrees with Father Flynn’s approaches to life and to students. 

Sister James reluctantly admits to seeing Father Flynn alone meet with the school’s single black student.  Sister Aloysious jumps to the conclusion that Father Flynn is committing a nefarious act with the boy.  

She falsely asks Father Flynn to a planning session for the annual Christmas pageant with Sister James present.  The Nun Principal hopes to get the Father to confess to a misdeed. 

He soon understands that she has invited him to the meeting to create an intervention of sorts.  After attempting to maintain the student’s confidences, it turns out that there is an understandable, innocent, and confirmable explanation for the priest’s actions.  Sister James is convinced.  Sister Aloysious is like a dog with a bone, She will not let go.         

Finding no evidentiary support from Sister James or the Father, she calls the boy’s mother, Mrs. Muller (Teisha M. Bankston) for a conference.

Mrs. Muller appears. Her concerns are that her son is doing well and that the other students are not abusing him.  The suggestions of an accusation are dismissed by her.  She sees the priest as just taking an interest in her son.   It turns out the boy is being abused at home by the Father for not being masculine enough. Mrs. Muller just wants her boy to graduate.

Still Sister Aloysious refuses to let go.  After a huge confrontation, Father Flynn reluctantly reports the Sister to the Bishop.  It does no good.  He is transferred and promoted to a larger parish. Sister Aloysious remains as Principal at St. Nicholas.

Was the Priest falsely accused?  Did he groom the black student? We don’t know.  There is no evidence.  We know there is the stain of an accusation on Father Flynn’s record.  We know the unreasonable and unhappy Sister Aloysious continues her dark reign as Principal at St. Nicolas School. We know the archdiocese has acted in a questionable manner.

The play is excellent in that it allows the audience to make up its own mind about the priest, the nuns, the students, race, homosexuality, and a few other silent accusations.  I know I have opinions.  I will let you see the play and make up your own mind.

Matt Schwader as Father Flynn, Kathleen Warfel as Sister Aloysius, and Chritina Schafer as Sister James are all excellent.  Teisha M. Bankston as Mrs. Muller was very good.  I should have liked to seen more of her in this smaller role made the most of.  

DOUBT runs until March 23.  Tickets can be purchased through the website www.kcactors.org or by telephone at 816.361.5228.

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