"What do you do when you're not sure?" asks Father Flynn in the homily that opens "Doubt," now playing at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. This powerful production of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize-winning play captivates its congregation with this question. The audience is left with no answers, a barrage of new questions and the conviction that little will ever seem black and white again.
"Doubt" is set in a Bronx Catholic church and school in 1964. On the surface, the conflict is between personable Father Flynn and the hard-nosed principal of the school, Sister Aloysius, who suspects Father Flynn of "interfering" with the school's first black student. The play's setting in the midst of the civil rights struggle and the upheaval of Vatican II provides an important subtext to the play.
Shanley's remarkable script provides the actors with an excellent framework but the central conflict remains unspoken, so the show relies on strong acting. Fortunately, the Rep's cast is up to the challenge.
Brian Vaughn stands out as Father Flynn, who remains cheerily likable during his stony and heartbreaking responses to Sister Aloysius' accusations. Laura Gordon as Sister Aloysius plays the part with a pinched militarism that pits a pre-Vatican II mentality against Flynn's affability. Her overemphasis of comedic notes makes it harder to take her seriously, but overall the portrayal is compelling.
Marybeth Gorman's Sister James, whose idealistic notion of her role in the Church is challenged by Sister Aloysius, has an excellent confused innocence in later scenes. Nora Cole, who appears only once as the mother of the boy in question, is mesmerizing and makes the audience wish for an entire show focused on her.
The production's simple rotating stage is effective, but the context of isolation in Shanley's script is altered when crew members dressed as students change the sets. Transition music sounds a bit like Sunday in a Starbucks and removes much of the show's stark urgency. Some of the staging seems manufactured to shift the actors around rather than provide a natural outflow from the script.
In an e-mail sent to the show's stage manager, who provided an excellent Rep In Depth talk before some performances, Shanley explained that doubt is important because it is a precursor to change. This remarkable show has no easy answers, but the realization that such answers do not and should not exist is a valuable lesson to learn.
"Doubt" runs until Nov. 18 at the Rep's Quadracci Powerhouse, 108 E. Wells St. Tickets can be purchased online at www.milwaukeerep.com or by phone at 414-224-9490. Prices range from $12-$44. Half-price rush tickets are available for most shows 30 minutes prior to curtain.