DOUBT, A PARABLE by John Patrick Shanley (Canadian Stage). At the Bluma Appel (27 Front East). Runs to May 30. $20-$90. 416-368-3110, canstage.com. See listing. Rating: NN
John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, A Parable is a crafty piece of writing, but if the performances aren’t sufficiently nuanced, it can feel like just another clever puzzle piece. That’s what’s happened with this production.
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Conservative principal Sister Aloysius suspects progressive priest Father Flynn of sexually interfering with the school’s only black student. Sister James is the young, inexperienced nun who gets caught between them. Key to the aptly named piece is that we’re not supposed to be sure if the priest is innocent or guilty.
David Storch is excellent as the beleaguered Flynn, torn and eventually terrified by Sister Aloysius’s charges. Raven Dauda really nails it as the young boy’s mother with her own agenda.
But Daniela Vlaskalic as Sister James is too physical for a role that demands more meekness, and her voice is absolutely grating. Director Marti Maraden should have toned her down.
The usually impeccable Seana McKenna hasn’t found the complexity in Sister Aloysius, playing her as a battleaxe. The character must be more than a meanie. Both she and Flynn have to be sympathetic or the piece doesn’t work.
And what’s the rush? Concentrating on her Bronx accent instead of the emotion, McKenna fires off her lines machine-gun-style, and there isn’t a pause in the entire play.
This is a thinking person’s piece. Give us time to think.
