Rosebud play says doubt can be a good thing

Times Contributor

  

Doubt: A Parable, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by John Patrick Shanley, opened at Rosebud Theatre on Sept. 19.

It’s 1964, in the Bronx, New York. Father Flynn (Nathan Schmidt), a young Catholic priest, opens the show by preaching a sermon to his congregation. His topic is doubt. Doubt, he tells us, can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty.

But Sister Aloysius (Jeany Van Meltebeke), principal of the church’s elementary school, has no doubt, at least none she’ll admit. She believes Father Flynn is in an improper relationship with a Grade 8 student, and she convinces young and trusting Sister James (Heather Pattengale) he is guilty.

Donald Miller, the child at the center of the controversy, is never seen, but there’s a brief intense scene with Mrs. Muller (Lennette Randall), who only wants her son, the school’s first black student, to make it through this school so he can attend a better high school. Besides, her son’s father hates Donald, and Father Flynn has become a friend to him.

But is Father Flynn actually abusing the boy?

The cast includes only these four – and each actor’s performance is exceptional. Nathan Schmidt is a warm, winsome priest. I very much wanted him to be innocent, right, sincere. Jeany Van Meltebeke, who was loving and motherly as Mrs. Frank in Diary of Anne Frank, is a little scary as the unbending Sister Aloysius. I fervently hoped her accusations were wrong, but I also felt for her. Heather Pattengale is an endearing teacher, terrified of Sister Aloysius, yet desperate to do what’s right.

Lennette Randall is a powerful, conflicted Mrs. Muller. In numerous other roles I’ve seen Randall perform since she graduated from Rosebud School of the Arts two years ago, she’s usually made me laugh, but there’s no laughter here. Mrs. Muller is deep, pained and angry.

Randall’s performance is memorable – as is the play itself. In the days since I saw it, I’ve been questioning some of my own assumed certainties. I see now that a little bit of doubt can be a healthy thing.

Doubt: A Parable is only 80 minutes long, and each performance is followed by “A Matter of Doubt,” a talk-back with the cast. Most of our audience stayed behind, and their questions and comments made the talk-back as challenging and insightful as the show itself.

I highly recommend Doubt: A Parable, for its lasting impact on your life and thinking. Doubt plays at the Rosebud Theatre until Oct. 25. Tickets include a dinner buffet. Call 1-800- 267-7553 or see www.rosebudtheatre.com for tickets.