Reader Reviews
Doubt - A Parable (Tricycle Theatre, Inner London)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | In America Doubt won a Tony award and a Pulitzer Prize so it is a real coup for the Tricycle to stage it in London, although it deserves to be seen by a wider audience. Not a single word of John Patrick Shanley's script is wasted and there are four superb performances: Dearbhla Molloy as Sister Aloysius, seemingly unaffected by doubt in her campaign against a possibly abusive priest despite no concrete evidence; Padraic Delaney, at first attractive and progressive but far too quick to hide behind the established order of the church; Marcella Plunkett as Sister James praying for the innocence of a man she clarly admires (or more) but who takes advantage of her naivety; and Nikki Amuka-Bird as the boy's mother who is shockingly prepared to turn a blind eye so long as her son graduates. Shanley does not take the easy course of providing an answer leaving the auience to draw their own conclusions, if they can. 2008 is only nine days old but my only doubt is that I will not see a better, more powerful or affecting play all year. - David Baxter | 09 Jan 08 |
| Facsinating play about the clash between old-fashioned rigid religious values and a more modern approach but the production seems too lightweight. The crucial scene between mother and headmistress was very impressive but the odds were loaded against the headmistress by the actor playing Father Flynn being played with rather too much innocence. - Fred | 28 Nov 07 |
| In this short one act play the intransigent and dessicated Mother Superior pits herself against the personable and enthusiastic Father Flynn over her belief that he is having some sort of illicit relationship with a new black boy in the school. The guileless younger nun is caught in the web and vacillates in her suspicion, and when the boy's mother enters the equation her response is quite unexpected. This is a gripping and engaging evening that will have you caught up in the conflict but unsure who to believe. Highly recommended. - kilburncat | 25 Nov 07 |
