“VOICE CHOICE, must-see production. Enthralling and Gripping.”

Stage Centre’s haunting production of John Patrick Shanley’s 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning DOUBT: A PARABLE is NOT! TO! BE! MISSED! at Fairview Library Theatre.

The time is fall, 1964. The setting is St. Nicholas Church and Catholic School in the Bronx, New York City, where principal Sister Aloysius (Janice Hansen) suspects the charismatic Father Flynn (Anthony Parise) of having an improper relationship with the unseen Donald Muller, a twelve-year-old black student in Sister James’s (Olivia [Eun-Jung] Jon) class. At one point, Donald’s mother (Astrid Atherly) is invited to come to the school to see if she can provide further information to assist Sister Aloysius’ journey to convict Father Flynn.

The backdrop of 'Doubt' is the Second Vatican Council from 1962-1965, which Pope John XXIII called to update the Catholic Church and better connect with people in an increasingly secular world. The Council aimed to improve some of the Church's practices and present them in a way that congregation members could understand. Catholics were divided over this seismic change in the Church. Father Flynn believes in the Church's welcoming face improvement, while Sister Aloysius firmly adheres to the tenets of the Catholic Faith pre-Vatican 2.

Director Elaine O’Neal and her creative team have made fine choices, rendering this production both enthralling and gripping. Stage Centre Productions should undoubtedly take pride in it.

For one, the four actors do not attempt to imitate a Bronx accent. Bless them for that. What’s far more important is telling the story honestly instead of masking behind an unnatural sound that may not be effective to maintain consistently.

John Palmieri’s selection of 1964 pre-show music adds a nostalgic touch, taking the audience back to a bygone era. Even though I was born in 1960, I can still recall hearing some of those tunes growing up in the late 60s. Yes, I found myself humming along while I waited for the show to begin.

The production is visually striking, and I want to recognize the tremendous effort of the creative team working behind the scenes.

Angela Bell has designed suitable costumes, particularly for the specific religious order – the Sisters of Charity – to which James and Aloysius belong. The evocative lighting created by Karen Brown and Paul Harris highlights the tension of any given moment, especially during the standoff between Flynn and Aloysius near the end of the play. Pierre Rajotte’s set design and décor immediately caught my eye as I settled in to experience the story. Rajotte has made noteworthy use of the space, paying close attention to the minute details on the Fairview Library stage. At far stage right, a beautiful crucifix hangs triumphantly over the stage, from which Flynn delivers his homilies.

Centre stage is Aloysius’s office. Once again, attention to detail has been carefully paid to the American flag in Aloysius’s office. A picture of Pope John XXIII is proudly displayed on the back wall. Aloysius’s office is quite spacious. I loved the rolling office chair as it looks authentic. The door to the office is remarkable as it appears embossed with the title PRINCIPAL on it and a design underneath. A filing cabinet and two chairs can also be seen.

On the far stage left is the school garden. There is a grotto with a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Four small bushes are being covered with burlap for the upcoming winter season.

Elaine O’Neal directs Shanley’s twenty-year-old relevant script with sensitivity and class, evident in the performances she draws from her four actors. Pacing is terrifically timed with pausing that never appears rushed. While ‘Doubt’ may appear to be an easy play to stage, it is not. What truly matters is the underlying implications of the playwright’s words. It is the audience who must pay close attention.

Anthony Parise’s Father Flynn is charming at first. Parise's open arms indicate sincerity and trustworthiness during the homily at the top of the show. I believed wholeheartedly in this man of the cloth when he told us before concluding his sermon: ‘‘Doubt can be a bond as powerful as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone.’’ However, Parise cleverly takes the audience’s trust and notches up slightly the possibility of something just not being right when Flynn speaks to the boys in the rectory about ‘being a man’ after they have just had their physical education/basketball lesson.

Olivia (Eun-Jung) Jon is charming and kind-hearted as the young Sister James, who loves teaching. Jon’s eyes convey much before her physical stature registers what she has just heard. When she finally allows the reality of her superior's directive to sink in, the audience begins to witness a young, enthusiastic educator weighed down by cruel, controlling tactics that should never be employed in the career of a beginning teacher.

For example, Jon’s James endures some rather unprofessional needling about the ‘not bad’ history lesson Aloysius observed in the classroom. Sister James wishes her students to feel comfortable approaching and speaking with her if the situation warrants it. Still, Aloysius disagrees, believing that the young teacher must maintain a steely disposition both in heart and behaviour. Parise, as Flynn, quickly notes Aloysius’ treatment of James and becomes the confidant who helps the young teacher through it; however, considering the doubt in James’s mind about a possibly perceived indiscretion with one of her students, Jon’s eyes once again convey a significant amount of the distress and turmoil before she allows her stature again to register what she feels regarding this priest whom she holds in high regard.

In her one crucial scene with Sister Aloysius in the principal’s office, Astrid Atherly’s Mrs. Muller broke my heart. With an upright posture and eyes fixed intently on Sister Aloysius, Atherly listens attentively, poised to react to anything that might jeopardize her son before he leaves St. Nicholas and moves on. Like Parise, Atherly skillfully brings the audience to her side before Mrs. Muller reveals a shocking truth, still eliciting gasps from audiences even twenty-some years later.

Janice Hansen embodies a steely resolve firmly grounded in the truth of the historical context as Sister Aloysius. Even the misaligned pens on the desk must be arranged in a particular order. While the conversation with James and Flynn about the Christmas pageant provides laugh-out-loud moments, Hansen’s demeanour and physicality consistently convey that she means business and is not someone to be trifled with as the school principal.

This physicality between Parise and Hansen works exceptionally well in the showdown between Aloysius and Flynn. O’Neal has staged an intricate chess game in the office, and it’s intriguing to watch the priest and principal calculate their movements and thoughts, pausing to think quickly before responding. The tension bubbles, and I keep wondering who will explode with rage first.

It's all believable, natural and realistic.

An actor’s dream.

See it.

Running time: approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.

‘Doubt: A Parable’ runs until February 1 at the Fairview Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall Drive. For tickets: stagecentreproductions.com.

STAGE CENTRE PRODUCTIONS present
‘Doubt’ by John Patrick Shanley

Directed by Elaine O’Neal
Assistant Director: Brad Emes
Stage Manager: Malcolm Byrne
Set Designer and Décor: Pierre Rajotte
Costume Design: Angela Bell
Lighting Design: Karen Brown, Paul Harris
Sound Design: John Palmieri

Performers: Astrid Atherly, Janice Hansen, Olivia (Eun-Jung) Jon, Anthony Parise