[NEohioPAL] Review of "Doubt" at CVLT

[Bob Abelman]

CVLT cast offers a reasonable Doubt

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times/The Solon Times/The Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the Chagrin Valley Times 1/22/09

The 1960s was a time of discord and confusion.  The comfortably conservative traditions of one decade were conflicting with the liberalism of the next, leaving two generations in a state of disarray.  Opposition to a war divided the nation.  The civil rights movement was gaining momentum amidst the assassination of its leaders. Doubt reigned supreme as Americans tried to make sense of a world in flux.

Playwright John Patrick Shanley sets his award winning drama Doubt: A Parable smack in the middle of the 1960s, where the personal doubts of his characters are shrouded in the cultural, political and social doubts of the period.  He places the action within the confines of St. Nicholas parochial school as the Catholic Church was going through its own turmoil.  Vatican II attempted to bring the Church into the 20th century and many began to doubt the sanctity and security of this sacred institution. 

In this play, the old-school school principal, Sister Aloysius, suspects young Father Flynn of having an inappropriate relationship with an eighth grade boy.  The Sister and Father have been at philosophical odds since his arrival at the Parish, raising doubt about her motivations.  She engages in a ruthless and potentially unjustified pursuit of the truth.

Knowing what we now know about the existence of pedophilia in the Church, doubts arise about Father Flynn's innocence but without any real evidence to support it.  He protests and holds fast to his virtue and moral fortitude.  Does he protest too much?

This wonderfully woven tale is currently in production at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre.  Under the perceptive direction of Don Edelman and within an impressive set designed by Edmond Wolff, an engaging cast relays the essentials of this story and provides a very solid, thought-provoking evening's entertainment.

What is missing, at least during the opening night performance, is the subtlety and balance that this play requires in order for the audience to absorb all the innuendo and mounting tiers of suspicion and leave the theatre in. doubt.   

Imagine a pendulum, which the playwright intends to slightly sway from one character's perspective to the next, offering ambiguity, uncertainty and dramatic intrigue.  Mr. Edelman has the pendulum swinging broadly, resulting in a he said/she said struggle that allows the audience to too easily take sides rather than constantly weight options.  The four actors give fine performances but they are largely one-dimensional.  Drama is created on the CVLT stage, but little intrigue.  

Harriet DeVeto, as Sister Aloysius, has created a wonderful persona that is easy to distain, and her rational thought and unflagging conviction make for convincing arguments against the priest.  However, she displays too much fervor, punching out lines as if they were punch lines.  The Sister comes across as more caustic and mean spirited than cunning, which diminishes the doubt she should be generating.

Eric Oswald is a very likable and endearing Father Flynn, but neither the character's charisma nor vulnerability-necessary contrasting complexities that keep the audience guessing about whether Flynn is priest or predator-come through.    

Cheryl Winslow, as the novice nun in charge of the eighth graders, is pivotal in reinforcing the uncertainty in this drama.  It should never be clear whether she reluctantly confesses her suspicions about the Father to Sister Aloysius or whether Sister Aloysius has planted the seeds of doubt.  It should never be clear whether Father Flynn truly convinces her of his innocence or takes advantage of hers.  Ms. Winslow's Sister James is meek rather than self-doubting, which dims the dynamic between the characters.

As the boy's mother, Sharron McPherson-Foxx does a fine job revealing the desperation of a parent fighting to insure that her child has a better life than she had, even in the hands of a potential pedophile.  Absent is the realization that she is a lower-middle-class black woman in 1964 confronting Sister Aloysius, an intimidating white authority figure. 

The CVLT offers a reasonable Doubt.  It captures the essence of this complex play, if not its nuance, and does so until February 7 in nearby Chagrin Falls.
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