Doubt: A Parable Review – Dundee Rep’s Gripping Thriller

John Patrick Stanley’s Doubt: A Parable debuted off-Broadway in 2004, and took the Pulitzer Prize for Drama once transferred in the next year. That is to say, the jury is pretty much out on the quality of this Church based psychological play, which pitches Sister Aloysius (Ann Louise Ross) and her suspicions against the young, charismatic and seemingly progressive Father Flynn (Michael Dylan).

Set within the fictional bounds of St. Nicholas Church School in the Bronx, it’s a challenging, compelling piece of writing which presses audiences to pick a side. Are the ever-vigilant Sister’s instincts reliable, or do allegations, particularly regarding paedophilia, demand a presumption of innocence until proven guilty?

One thing’s certain: the play has no intention of confirming his guilt or innocence, and Director Joanna Bowman studiously avoids inflecting this Dundee Rep production with an opinion. Instead, she focuses on delivering a compact, absorbing, and deeply atmospheric experience, ably assisted by Jessica Worrall’s attention-focussing and sometimes claustrophobic set — made all the more noir by lighting designer Derek Anderson’s particularly deft use of shadows.

“…a compact, absorbing, and deeply atmospheric experience.”

A tense moral thriller on the Dundee stage

Scottish stage stalwarts Louise Ross and Dylan make a fine pair of natural enemies. She’s all sharp edges and conservative values; he’s all erudition and post-Vatican-II modernity. She doesn’t invite even the smallest hint of sympathy; he all but demands it. They have all the ‘bad’ chemistry needed to make the play’s razor-edged dialogue work.

That said, Dylan’s priest is possibly just a little too glowingly likeable. But…if the part would benefit from a stronger hint of inner-conflict, you might also consider his charm a trap. Sister Aloysius certainly does…

Caught in the middle, young nun and teacher, Sister James (Emma Tracey), sways between the two. At first desperate to win Aloysius’s approval — she is the school principal after all — James quickly finds the weight of perpetual suspicion a crippling burden. Tracey is exceptional in a role which could easily be crowded out. Instead, she is the heart of the play, finding all the pathos and comedy in the younger nun’s doubts, hopes, and constant struggles to do the right thing.

Design and direction elevate this production

Though Bowman allows time for her and the others’ doubts and fears to simmer towards boiling point, the pace never falters. Elegant, minimalist transitions sweep the action from church to office and even the gardens outside, thanks to a clever reveal from Worrall’s set. Accompanied by Richard Bell’s increasingly discordant ecclesiastical choral soundtrack, each change feels like the closing of one chapter and the opening of the next. This is a show edged with quality in every respect.

Kudos are also due to Mercy Ojelade, who steps into proceedings midway, as the parent to the priest’s supposed victim, Mrs Muller. She’s a fine cat amongst the pigeons to be sure, facing Aloysius with some uncomfortable truths regarding her racial sensibilities without coming off as a caricature or narrative means to an end. Her brand of practicality is delivered with honesty, challenging the audience to view the world through yet another set of eyes. Doubt: A Parable is not a play lacking sophistication.

“Scottish stage stalwarts Louise Ross and Dylan make a fine pair of natural enemies.”

Timely themes meet timeless drama

Offered to a world in which empassioned narratives, mostly devoid of any factual basis, war with each other across social media, Doubt is also in no danger of becoming irrelevant. There’s ample nuance throughout, whether exploring the patriarchal politics of power within the church or the eternal conflict between discipline and compassion when educating the young. That’s on top of the central exploration of doubt, its virtues, and its dangers.

However, don’t get the wrong idea: this isn’t a play mired in philosophy. In terms of pure, scintillating drama, you’ll see few finer showdowns than when accuser and accused lock themselves in an office and go hunting a final resolution. They won’t get it, and neither will you… it’s a magnificent and rare thing when a play refuses to provide one without being superbly irritating.

In the end, this is a fine production of an exceedingly fine play, and one which will doubtlessly entertain and provoke audiences until the curtain falls for the final time next month.

Featured Image: Michael Dylan (Father Flynn) and Emma Tracey (Sister James) Dundee Rep Doubt A Parable Image by Mihaela Bodlovic