Matt Schwader in Doubt: A Parable (Brian Paulette)
John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt: A Parable debuted in 2004, just two years after The Boston Globe first broke the story of the Catholic church’s history of sexual abuse and its cover-up. Now, 20 years later, the play is perhaps less shocking than it once was, as audiences are more familiar with the play and the disturbing history behind it. But it’s still an important, impactful work and a beautiful showcase for strong talent.
Doubt, currently running at Kansas City United Church of Christ in an off-site production from the Kansas City Actors Theatre, is set in a fictional Catholic parish and school in 1964, right on the heels of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The personable and charismatic Father Flynn (Matt Schwader) opens the play with a sermon about uncertainty and despair, and how these overwhelming emotions can be a source of public bond.
Sister Aloysius (Kathleen Warfel) has no room for uncertainty. The conservative, eminently stern head nun and school principal is at odds with Father Flynn, as well as the young Sister James (Christina Schafer). This new generation of Catholic leadership wants students to feel emotionally cared for and to even view them as friends. They want to include secular music in their Christmas pageant to be more appealing to potential new, younger members. None of this makes sense to Sister Aloysius. As she sees it, nuns and priests are not the children’s friends, putting distance between themselves and the parishioners is the whole point, and, while we’re at it, Frosty the Snowman is clear pagan propaganda. Sister Aloysius is proud of her austerity, she wears it like a badge of honor.
To most, it must look like Sister Aloysius doesn’t care about the children. But as we see as the events of Doubt unfold, her method of applying care isn’t lacking; it’s surgical: precise and sterile. When Sister James comes to her with concerns that Father Flynn is abusing Donald Muller, the school’s first Black student, Sister Aloysius does not hesitate and she does not equivocate. Unencumbered by emotional uncertainty, she moves quickly with only the boy’s best interest in mind.
The novel location for KCAT’s production of Doubt introduces some interesting challenges for the design team.
As director Gary Heisserer says in a program note alongside a full-page list of relevant historical events, 1964 was an especially tumultuous year. KCAT’s production drives this idea home with interstitial soundscapes during scene changes, playing the sounds of a radio dial tuning between songs and news clips of the time. The effect feels a bit heavy handed, perhaps binding this self-described parable too tightly to a very specific moment in time. But it’s also useful in reminding the audience of the play’s setting, since the lack of a full set and the austerity of the costumes (aside from a powerhouse cameo from Teisha M. Bankston as Donald’s mother) give little indication of the period. And since the location doesn’t allow for lighting changes, the sound cues are both necessary and effective in carrying us through those scene changes.
The choice to perform this play inside an active church is an intriguing one, but I found myself a bit underwhelmed by the result. For regular KCAT audiences, the off-site location has something of a field tip feeling to it, which is exciting in itself. But there’s a disconnect between the idea and its execution. The Catholic Church, where Shanley’s play is rooted and set, is such a unique entity: formal, severe, and imposing—everything Sister Aloyisius values and represents. KCUCC, meanwhile, is essentially the Sister James or the Father Flynn of Churches. This space prides itself on being welcoming and inclusive, and the actors perform their scenes under rainbow lights. These are values to be celebrated in a religious institution, but as the setting for this particular play, the airy geniality undercuts much of the play’s tone and tension. I couldn’t help but repeatedly wonder what the KCAT scenic design team could have done in their usual space.
Ultimately, Doubt: A Parable, like all of Shanley’s works, is a real actors’ play, living or dying on the performances of its small ensemble. Fortunately, KCAT’s cast is up to the task. Schafer is a joy as Sister James. She is the kind of wide-eyed, enthusiastic, genuinely invested teacher every elementary schooler loves, and our hearts break watching her struggle with her suspicions of Father Flynn. As Flynn, Schwader exudes charisma. He is another kind of authority figure kids cherish, making his (possible) betrayal so distressingly treacherous. And as Sister Aloysius, Warfel drives the whole show forward with terrifying force.
20 years after its premiere, Doubt: A Parable remains an important piece of art and a poignant conversation starter for audiences. This off-site production from KCAT is an impressively big swing, and while not every element might land perfectly, it’s absolutely still an overall hit.
“Doubt: A Parable,” a production of Kansas City Actors Theatre, runs through March 23 at Kansas City United Church of Christ, 205 W. 65 St, Kansas City, MO. For more information, visit www.kcactors.org.
