Juliana Scott

Mr. Bengford

Drama I

December 4, 2006

Critique

            On November 29, 2006, Doubt, written by John Patrick Shanley, was performed at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco, California. Doug Hughes directed this production. The show is about a nun, Sister Aloysius, who is the head of the St. Nicholas Church School located at that Catholic Church. Sister Aloysius suspects the priest of the church, Father Flynn, of molesting boys that attend her school and tells Sister James, a teacher at the school, to report any suspicious activity. A week later, Sister James tells Sister Aloysius that Father Flynn took the newest student in her class, the first black child at the school, alone for a talk. She said that the child returned depressed and with the smell of alcohol. This event is all the proof Sister Aloysius needed, and she goes on to accuse Father Flynn. The play continues to show both sides of the argument, whether the pastor committed the crime or if he did not. The show ends with Father Flynn transferring to a higher position at another church, and Sister Aloysius saying “I have my doubts”, leaving the conclusion up to the inference of the audience.

            Cherry Jones performed the role of Sister Aloysius, and amazingly I might add. She interpreted the character brilliantly. She developed movement that showed she was an aged woman before she even began speaking. In her first scene, a scene in her office, she is sitting at her desk and doing various activities there. Just by how slowing and the amount of care she puts into each movement, the audience can tell she is an older, worn out woman. On top of just nailing the physicalization, Jones used an accent that was extremely different than what the audience is used to hearing. Although at first the accent made it difficult for the audience to understand her, the accent showed that Sister Aloysius is strict firm, and proper woman. Jones also stayed very true to her character throughout the entire performance. The different emotions she experienced exuberated off the stage and into the audience. When talking with Father Flynn about her suspicions, she remained calm, but in an intimidating way, and then she would snap as a reaction to how he had responded to her question. The last line of the show, “I have my doubts”, was filled with so much emotion and realness that the audience could not help but feel it too. Jones also reacted and had spectacular teamwork with her scene partners throughout the show. There was no question about her relationship with each character. From her tone of voice to her movement, it was obvious that Jones was portraying the higher ranking nun to Sister James. When speaking with Father Flynn, Jones made a choice to use a more respectful tone, until her character became angry and frustrated. Then at that point, she chose to portray those emotions in her conversation. Overall, Cherry Jones shined as Sister Aloysius.

            Chris McGarry preformed Father Flynn, the priest accused of molesting a boy at St. Nicholas Church School. McGarry developed a cool guy persona that was perfect for this character, but he also understood the depth of this character. From his first sermon and seeing him talk to the boys during gym class, the audience could tell that Father Flynn was a laid-back, mellow character that wanted to be liked. He spoke loud and clear so there was no question about what he was saying. McGarry also used gestures and movement that made him seem approachable and nice. For example, in one scene when he is talking to Sister James, he used hands a lot while talking, and these gestures made him seem like a real person, someone you could talk to. McGarry also showed the different sides of Father Flynn very well. He portrayed Father Flynn as a sly kind of guy when convincing Sister James that he did not molest the child, but then he also showed Father Flynn’s vulnerability when Sister Aloysius confronted him about the subject by using real tears when his character broke down. This range in emotion forced the audience to see both sides of the case, leaving them with doubts about whether he did it or not. Chris McGarry did a fabulous job of understanding and portrayal the deep character of Father Flynn.

            The technical design of the show was just as impressive as the acting. The sets were simple, but they added just enough background to set the mood of the show without distracting from the message of the show. The design was set up so that the center portion of the stage moved, bringing out different set pieces, like Sister Aloysius’s office and a little garden. Also, there was a statue behind the archways most upstage. This statue would move from into different archways to represent a change in setting, which made each location recognizable to the audience. The choice in sound effects was also very simple; being that music was only used during set changes. Yet the music helped emphasize the serious tone of the show. The only problem with sound was that when a new character entered, like Sister Aloysius and Sister James at the beginning of the show, the microphones and speakers were not in-sync creating a slight effect. Lighting was also used to distinguish between scenes and locations throughout the show. The lighting design embellished on the serious topic of the show by providing just enough light so that the scenes were realistic and during set changes there was always a darker undertone to the lighting design. The costumes were basic priest and nun garb, and the makeup was very natural, even more so showing that the play takes place at a Catholic church. Although a simplistic design, all the technical aspects added greatly to the overall effect of the show.

            All the different parts of theatre merged together during this production to create a wonderful and enjoyable show. Although Cherry Jones stole the show with her portrayal of Sister Aloysius, all the actors preformed their parts fantastically. The actual show itself was written to make an audience think about the uncertainty in life, and this production definitely accomplished that goal. The audience left talking and debating whether or not Father Flynn committed the crime. This production definitely made people think, and it was an amazing show to watch and enjoy.