Innocence is only wisdom in a world without evil. But why is it we are so quick to believe that of which we are not certain? Why are we so quick to judge? The most innocent interaction can see seem sinister to a poisoned mind. Why do we let our minds be primed so readily with poison? In a striking and evocative drama now appearing on the Vagabond Players’ stage as the penultimate production of their 108th season, Doubt, a Parable brings these questions to the forefront of the audiences’ minds in a gripping, 80-minute exploration of faith, morality, and above all, the titular eponymy: Doubt. Directed by Steve Goldklang, with an assist from Chip Furstenau and Stage Managed by Jesse Stiteler, this riveting and compelling deep-dive into morality from the standpoint of religious higher grounds is captivating, breathtaking, and truly remarkable.
The production itself is practically flawless, in addition to being a brilliant script by John Patrick Shanely. I saw ‘practically’ because the glaring wedding ring on Sister Aloysius’s left ring finger (with the intimate closeness that the Vagabond Theatre provides to its stage, even from halfway back in the audience) kept tugging at my eye because it kept catching the light whenever she’d move. The character even has a line about how when you take your vows you close the doors to the secular world and it just distracts from her overall hardened, stoic nature. (Yes, she mentions she was previously married, lost her husband in the war, but if it’s an intentional choice by Goldklang and the actor, it’s sending the wrong message in juxtaposition with her otherwise perfect portrayal and if it’s an oversight, somebody add “wedding ring check” to Stage Manager Jesse Stiteler’s pre-show list.) Now that I’ve gotten my wedding ring rant out of the way, I can move onto the sheer brilliance that is this production.
You get a functional and perfectly simple set, designed by Roy Steinman and constructed by Jay Demarco and Bruce Kapplin. The trio split the stage between Sister Aloysius’ office and the outdoor garden, letting one scenic space bleed gently into the next, which makes for fluid transitions. Both Director Steve Goldklang’s direction and Stage Manager Jesse Stiteler’s tight-ship management keep this production barreling forth at quite the pace, which is excellent for both the narrative momentum and the tension that gets carefully crafted into each exchange as the play races toward its questioning conclusion. The lighting design, fabricated by Adrienne Cassara is both subtle and effective, particularly when snapping to blackout between scenes. Enhancing these illuminating effects is the sound work of Stephen Deininger, who uses church bells, crows cawing, and other pious sounds appropriate for the Catholic Parish & School of the Bronx in 1964. A special nod of praise goes out to Costumer April Forrer as she’s chosen to eschew the more traditional habits of the nun and opted instead for the ‘bonnets of charity’, a lesser known Catholic facet, in homage and representation of Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity.
Director Steve Goldklang is no stranger to directing nor to the Vagabond Players’ stage. And his seasoned expertise in this production is fully on display. Pulling the Father Flynn character off to the aisled-side stage right where there’s a slight overhanging ramp allows him to preach his sermons from an invisible pulpit, making the audience his congregation without ever truly dissolving that fourth while. The tension that Goldklang manages to construct in these scenes grows in a cumulative nature, mounting and expanding until it washes out into the house and consumes the audience with the very namesake of the play. The emotional stakes run high in this production as well. One strikingly beautiful moment that comes to mind is the shared scene in the garden-courtyard between Father Flynn and Sister James, where each are taking turns at expressing troubles to one another, and each have a moment where they reach to comfort the other— the simplest of gestures: a hand on the shoulder— only to quickly recoil from the other a mere breathe after making such a gesture. Because it’s wrong. Because it’s forbidden. Because it goes against the eyes of God. How can the simplest of human needs— a comforting hand on the shoulder— be so readily perceived as such and how striking it is to see these two brilliant actors execute that moment in such a visceral and astonishing manner.
The un-sung hero of the four-character repertoire is Kay-Megan Washington in the role of Mrs. Muller. While she only has one scene, just beyond the halfway point of the performance, it is a stunning one and she owns it like the stage titan that she is so often touted to be in the Baltimore area theatre scene. There is a simultaneous calmness and ferocity about the way Washington approaches the scene, the juxtaposition of these two emotional elements resulting in a powerhouse series of dialogue exchanges between her character and Sister Aloysius. Washington does a superb job of dancing all around the issue being discussed in that scene, letting her emotions flush to the surface without ever truly bubbling over, creating one of the most dynamic scenes in the performance.
An infectiously burbling naiveté is what sets Sister James (Alexandra Ade) apart from her stalwart counterpart, Sister Aloysius. Ade is every bit the chipper, eager, young Nun who loves teaching, loves history, and exudes compassion as if it were her sole purpose in life. The scene with the conversation between Ade’s Sister James and Stephen Deininger’s Father Flynn is a raw cross-sectional of human discourse in regard to nurturing verses tough love and the way Ade contributes to these moments elevates not only the scene but the performance as a whole. While the play itself is dark and ultimately a drama, it is not without its moments of humor, several of which are the result of Ade’s warm and lightly effervescent nature.
Delivering dueling emotional tour du forces, Stephen Deininger as Father Flynn and Lynda McClary as Sister Aloysius set the stage ablaze with a conflagration that’s true cause for alarm. Deininger starts his portrayal of Father Flynn ratcheted all the way up in the rafters of emotion, blasting his sermons, tempering his monologue-address to the unseen students with a more becalmed approach, and ultimately delivering a mercurial explosivity that’s all over the map. McClary, as the frigid, rule-abiding, definitive in all her convictions Principal of the School Nun, starts mild, builds in intensity with a more linear trajectory and has her climactic implosion near the end of the performance. Experiencing both of these styles of expression simultaneously makes for extraordinary work. Deininger delivers nuance in his anger, desperation in his fury, intensity in his moments of conviction and you can feel the threads of your soul starting to unravel when it comes to questioning his character. McClary is unyielding, like a rigid mountain who will not bend, creating the ultimate juxtaposition between immovable wall and unstoppable object when it comes to the Sister Aloysius/Father Flynn debate. The pair of them are well-matched in their exchanges and both Deininger and McClary serve as beacons in their respective roles, guiding scenes with the two other characters in the play to wholly ensnare the audience from the opening monologue to the closing question.
Deininger lets the emotions of Father Flynn run wildly explosive and expressive while McClary leans on the stoicism of her character’s convictions to drive her point home— and she gets a nod for mastering that Bronx-sounding Catholic Nun affectation whenever she speaks. One could not speak more plainly than to say that both Deininger, as Father Flynn, and McClary, as Sister Aloysius, are extraordinary in these roles, putting heart and soul into these exchanges with one another, the result of which is a striking, stunning, performance.
Doubt, a Parable will leave you questions, it will open your eyes to a realm of uncertainty, and challenge your convictions in faith, in institutions of faith, and in your beliefs as a whole. It’s an extraordinarily well-done production and should not be missed.
Running Time: 80 minutes with no intermission
Doubt, A Parable plays through April 28th 2024 at Vagabond Players— located in the heart of Fells Point: 806 S. Broadway in Baltimore, MD. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at (410) 563-9135 in advance online.
