(Enlarge) Clinton Brandhagen plays the young priest brought under suspicion by Laura Giannarelli’s Sister Aloysius, in background, in “Doubt,” continuing weekends through Oct. 5 at Everyman Theatre in Baltimore. (Photo by Stan Barouh)

John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt" has been one of the most frequently produced plays in recent years, so it's not surprising that Everyman Theatre is kicking off its season with it.

This Tony- and Pulitzer-winning 2004 play already was seen in Baltimore in a Cherry Jones-starring production at the Hippodrome Theatre, but Everyman makes a good case for presenting this intimate play in an equally intimate theater. Two nuns at a school, their parish priest and a student's mother interrogate each other at such uncomfortably close quarters in "Doubt" that you almost expect a ruler-wielding nun to whack you across the knuckles.

In terms of its setting, it's culturally significant that the play takes place at a Catholic grade school in New York City in 1964. The assassination of President Kennedy is a fresh memory that has everybody in America wondering what lies ahead in the 1960s. Even closer to home for these characters is that Vatican II-spawned reforms leave them wondering what lies ahead for their ancient religious institution.

The principal of this school, Sister Aloysius Beauvier, is an old-school nun whose teaching philosophy is as severe as her full black habit. Although she occasionally displays a wry sense of humor, she never doubts her beliefs about everything from child psychology to theology.

Laura Giannarelli really gets into the habit as Sister Aloysius, making it easy to believe that everybody trembles in her presence. There are moments where the actor's face seems a little too young and soft for the role, but her overall performance is mean enough.

As Sister James, the younger and much more idealistic nun whose teaching will never meet Sister Aloysius's exacting standards, Katy Carkuff brings the requisite sweetness to this part and also beautifully handles the audience-pleasing scene in which the meek Sister James finally works up the nerve to talk back to her boss.

These two nuns are concerned about the school's first black pupil, and their worries center around whether the parish priest has an improper relationship with the student. True to character, Sister Aloysius is convinced that there has been inappropriate behavior, while Sister James is willing to give the priest the benefit of the doubt.

As Father Brendan Flynn, Clinton Brandhagen reflects the youthful appearance and good-natured humanism of a new-school approach. The actor certainly leans on Flynn's Irish accent, but his performance eventually assumes a more natural flow. Brandhagen really brings out the exasperation and, eventually, the fury that the priest feels over charges that he insists are unfounded.

For all the argumentative time spent with these three characters, the most powerful scene involves a character who only appears in a single scene. Dawn Ursula gives a tightly controlled performance as the mother of the student in question, Mrs. Muller, and effectively embodies this morally upright woman's determination that her son survive in an often cruel world.

When Sister Aloysius informs her about the allegations, Mrs. Muller's response might not be exactly what you'd expect in such a situation. The polemical dynamics in "Doubt" have the potential to be overly schematic, but Shanley admirably creates characters who can't be reduced to a single predictable trait.

The play's primal confrontations are accentuated in a suitably spare staging by director Vincent M. Lancisi and set designer James Fouchard, which relies on moving platforms to quickly take us back and forth between the principal's office and an outdoor bench. You'll nervously pull forward in your seat to follow the issues being argued over. In any event, you wouldn't dare leave without the principal's permission.

"Doubt" runs through Oct. 5 at Everyman Theatre, at 1727 N. Charles St., in Baltimore. Tickets are $18 to $38. Call 410-752-2208 or go to www.everymantheatre.org.

user comments (0)