Review: DOUBT: A PARABLE Is Powerful And Pointed Exploration Of Truth And Lies And The Lengths People Will Go To Support What They Believe To Be Real.

Saturday 27th May 2017, 8:15pm, Old Fitz Theatre Woolloomooloo

John PatRick Stanley's DOUBT: A PARABLE is a confronting and compelling work that asks the audience to challenge what they believe to be true and leaves them with questions rather than conclusions. Director Dino Dimitriadis presents the thought provoking work with an imposing simplicity, allowing the quartet of performers to drive the award winning story that remains topical given the ongoing investigations into Institutional responses to child abuse.

The story of school principal Sister Aloysius' (Belinda Giblin) suspicions of parish priest Father Flynn's (Damian de Montemas) interactions with the unseen student, Donald Muller, play out on Jonathan Hindmarsh's seemingly simple, shallow set that brings and intimacy and immediacy to the production. At first glance, the grey concrete walls and basic wooden desk and chairs could be any institutional building but the combination of the Hindmarsh's costuming and Dimitradis' direction, the monochrome world transforms into Sister Aloysius' office, the Parish church and the courtyard that separates the Convent and Rectory with the aid of Alexander Berlage's lighting design. The formality and sterility of the setting is reinforced by the lights that highlight the severe lines of the space whilst haze and side lights create images of pensive moments. Hindmarsh also utilises subtle variations in the relatively restricted costuming to allude to the characters' differing views and progression, with Sister Aloysious primly covered in comparison to Sister James' (Matilda Ridgway) slightly relaxed interpretation of the Sisters Of Charity's habit. The sternness of the Sisters and Father Flynn's sombre black is contrasted with Donald's mother, Mrs Muller's (Charmaine Bingwa) boldly coloured but still conservative ensemble presenting the difference between the formality and isolation of the religious institution and the real world.

As the suspicious and somewhat vindictive Sister Aloysious, Belinda Giblin presents a striking presentation of the straight backed, stern nuns of old that ruled with fear and authority rather than compassion and understanding. Giblin presents the outmoded Sister's determination and self righteousness with a conviction that plants the seed of doubt as to whether the older woman has actual concerns for the young pupil or if her campaign is more driven by dislike of the young progressive priest.

As the younger Sister James, Matilda Ridgway captures the optimism and humanity that modern generations have come to expect from religious educators whilst also exhibiting the innocence that Sister Aloysious keeps citing as a character flaw. Ridgway display's Sister James' sensitivity with an honesty and realism as she sniffles through the beratement delivered by Sister Aloysious and her nervousness that she's misconstrued Father Flynn's actions and has therefore set the wheels in motion for innocent people to be fall foul of Sister Alysious' witch hunt.

As the subject of Sister Aloysious' suspicion, Damian de Montemas presents the forward-thinking, likeable, Father Flynn with an air of mystery that has the audience wanting to believe that he's innocent but not entirely sure, particularly when he retreats to the safety of the church's organisational structure. de Montemas presents Father Flynn's sermons with a calm reflective pace and gentle gravitas whilst conveying the concern with the unchristian behaviours he is experiencing which is contrasted with the anger he expresses as he attempts to remind Sister Aloysious of the protocols she should be following.

As Mrs Muller, Charmaine Bingwa captures the fact that she has other worries for her child's wellbeing and future, some of which is tied to the era of the American Civil Rights movement, rather than viewing Sister Aloysious' concerns as an issue when weighed against other facts. Bingwa presents Mrs Muller as strong force against the single-minded Sister Aloysious, and ensures that the audience sees the African American mother of a gay son as caring but also practical, weighing up the unsubstantiated allegations against the actual beatings her husband delivers to the child and the prejudices and segregation that affect her community and her son, the only African American child at the Church school.

DOUBT: A PARABLE is a powerful and thought-provoking work that carries an important message within its simplicity which ensures that the audience are challenged to question what they have witnessed and decide for themselves who they believe is telling the truth and therefore the justice in the outcome and the justification of those claiming to be catholic acting in uncatholic behaviour. Presented at a time when the Catholic Church and other institutions the community trusted are being investigated for historical child sexual abuse, this work shares the notion that there were means of stopping the abuse a lot earlier but protocols and procedures protected the offenders but equally challenges the idea that allegations, in any situation, not just schools, may be unfounded rumour and gossip and that people need to be aware of the consequences of assumptions and vindictiveness on others.

DOUBT: A PARABLE

Old Fitz Theatre

10 May - 3 June 2017

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