Cauldron

Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: A & E

Media Credit: Alley Theater Tension mounts between certainty and ambiguity in the Alley production.

"Doubt," now playing at the Alley Theatre, is a production that will make its viewers think. Set in 1964 at a Catholic school in the Bronx, the play's historical background is a time of upheaval in the Church.

The play centers around the strict Sister Aloysius (Elizabeth Heflin), principal of the school, and her suspicions of a student's abuse at the hands of Father Flynn (Jeffery Bean). Sister Aloysius claims to be a good judge of character and has her suspicions about Father Flynn's character from the beginning. She uses the innocent Sister James (Elizabeth Bunch), new to the school, as a means to confirm her reservations. Through the play, writer John Patrick Shanley leads his viewers through a maze of interactions that could be considered evidence for and against the suspected abuse from Father Flynn.

Bean portrayed Father Flynn, the passionate priest, very well. When he is aggravated with Sister Aloysius, the audience feels it. He delivers two sermons during the course of the play extremely well; in any other context, it would be hard to tell that he was merely an actor. Bean could have benefitted from a stronger Bronx accent because he seems to be the one character that causes viewers to believe that they are actually in New York. However, he plays the character so strongly, the lack of accent can be forgiven.

Heflin's Sister Aloysius is not a likeable character, although she is slightly sympathetic. Although she wants to protect her students, she does so at the expense of a potentially innocent man. She has no concrete evidence, but she has her "certainties." Heflin dominated the stage and played the character nearly flawlessly.

Bunch's Sister James is everything a school would want in a new teacher-she is ambitious, sweet, kind, reverent and innocent. Viewers are first introduced to her in Sister Aloysius's office. Throughout the course of the scene, as well as the play itself, viewers watch as her spirit is crushed by Sister Aloysius. She is thought to be too soft with her students. Sister James becomes confused by Sister Aloysius' accusations and continues in a state of uncertainty until the end, when she again becomes sure of herself.

Not only was it a treat to see such strong actors portray the characters in "Doubt," but the Alley's theatrical craft was a pleasure to witness. Sister Aloysius's office simply slid from backstage to the front rather then having stagehands moving props back and forth. The costuming was brilliant; the sister's habits were beautiful, as well as the vestments that Father Flynn wore during his sermons.

Instead of simply blacking the stage out during scene changes, bars of light cascaded across the stage. The same soundbite between the scenes became repetitious and at times annoying. While it showed a definite division between scenes, it was overdone.

The director has done a wonderful job in casting his actors and making scenes flow together seamlessly. The quality of "Doubt" bodes well for the rest of the Alley season.

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