Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – John Patrick Shanley’s elegantly succinct DOUBT returns to Broadway, it’s prismatic mysteries still tightly held

• By drediman
• March 8, 2024
• No Comments

Last night, the Broadway revival of John Patrick Shanley Doubt: A Parable opened at the newly-christened Todd Haimes Theatre — formerly the generically named American Airlines Theatre — courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company. The play opened nearly two decades ago to universal acclaim, claiming both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as Tony Award for Best Play. Set in 1964 in a Catholic school in the Bronx, the work tells the story of a nun (Sister Aloysius) who suspects that a parish priest (Father Flynn) is molesting one of her students.

The play is a marvel of efficiency and construction. In a succinctly but elegantly plotted series of scenes spread across just ninety minutes, Shanley gets right to it, quickly establishing the conflict and powerfully escalating the tension between characters. The beauty of the play lies in its ambiguity, which leaves it up to the viewers to make up their own minds as to where their allegiances lie. It’s a slippery piece that invites various interpretations and, therefore, return visits to unlock its prismatic, tightly held mysteries. For its first Main Stem revival, veteran director Scott Ellis has given Doubt a handsome, sturdy revival that’s in line with Shanley’s steady, deliberate writing. 

As Sister Aloysius, Amy Ryan — valiantly stepping in the last minute for an ailing Tyne Daly — gives a fascinating performance that’s more human and brittle than the typical bulldozing turns I’ve seen. As Father Flynn, the great Liev Schreiber gives a charismatic performance that gives the battle royal with Ms. Ryan a less histrionic, melodramatic bent. But perhaps best if all is the supporting cast — Zoe Kazan and Quincy Tyler Bernstine are radiant, giving practically perfect performances in the beautifully written roles of a conflicted young nun and a steadily steely mother of the boy who’s been allegedly sexually abused, respectively.

RECOMMENDED

DOUBT
Broadway, Play
Roundabout Theatre Company at the Todd Haimes Theatre
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through April 21