The brilliance and importance of John Patrick Stanley’s Doubt, wonderfully performed at Altarena Playhouse, is that it addresses the immensely horrible abuse of children by Catholic priests in the United States and around the world by focusing on just one child, a student at one school, who may or may not have been harmed by one priest.
Under the strong direction of Shannon Nicholson, and with just four actors performing for 90 minutes, the story manages in microcosm to explore the issue of abuse and the coverups of more than 300,000 children who were taken advantage of worldwide, resulting in over $4 billion in settlements for the victims and their families. This small, perfect play is so important—and the production at the Altarena is powerful and honorable.
Doubt is really the story of a well-intended nun, Sister Aloysius, played marvelously by Katina Letheule. During the play my notes about her performance ranged from her being “narrow and mean” to “righteously nosy” to “heroically human.” Her interactions with the other three characters are tense displays of power and nuance. She bullies Anna Kosiarek’s Sister James until she weeps, threatens Billie Simmons’s Mrs. Muller (mother of the alleged victim), and takes on Father Flynn, played by Thomas Hutchinson. Sister Aloysius is heroic in her efforts to protect the student at her school and other potential victims, even while using tactics that invite us to question her own character.
The other villain in the story, partner to the priest, is the hierarchy of the Catholic Church of the 1960s. As a nun, Aloysius is severely limited by this religious institution, subject to the dominance of its priests, and constrained by obedience, yet she strives for what is right, or what she believes is right. As with the title of the play itself, the ambiguity of the principal sister is unsettling and fascinating. Can someone who fears ballpoint pens be a savior?
Kosiarek plays Sister James, the younger nun and teacher at the school, with sincere timidity and bridled joy. She reminded this reviewer of the many young teachers I have worked with and mentored. Her innocence and uncertainty is ours and is wonderfully portrayed, but these qualities are shamed, and Sister Aloysius coaches her to be the opposite—suspicious and interested only in academics.
Hutchinson as Father Flynn is equally as ambitious as Sister Aloysius, wanting to do more than preach and hear confessions, interested in singing non-secular songs at the Christmas pageant, and enjoying Kool-Aid and cookies with his basketball team. But Father Flynn’s style, his inclination to bring warmth to this parochial school, is seen as unnecessary and counterproductive. The actor is very good at showing the priest’s emotions—kindness to Sister James, jocularity to his players, and his turmoil in the face of the accusation.
As a parent to Donald Muller, the only black child at the school, Simmons is outstanding in her single scene with Sister Aloysius. The mom respectfully stands up to the head nun and in subtle gestures shows she knows her child and shares the harsh circumstances of her life at home. She enters the office with fear but leaves having been ferocious in her love for her child.
The staging of the play effectively helps tell the story, from the set showing the principal’s office and small courtyard, to the somewhat dim lighting that contributes to the tone of seriousness. Good work, Tom Curtain and Kevin Myrick. Janice Stephenson’s costumes also helped create a Catholic school in 1964, with black nun habits, priest frocks, and especially the muted period outfit worn by the mom.
Having directed Doubt years ago at Encinal with four talented high school actors, seeing this Doubt brought back the courage of those young thespians, and the matching heroism of these actors, again the director, and really the Altarena Playhouse. It is fun and easy to do a comedy, a musical, or even a mystery, but to present a serious play about a global tragedy that hurt so many young people, mostly boys, is worthy of attendance, applause and admiration.
Doubt runs until June 30. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Altarena Playhouse website.
Gene Kahane is the founder of the Foodbank Players, a lifelong teacher, and former Poet Laureate for the City of Alameda. Reach him at [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Gene-Kahane.
