Not one of my 60 students in art history had seen the film Doubt. Neither had I, for I was tired of the discussion of priestly pederasty, nasty nuns, etc. Needless to say, I was disappointed last year when the students chose to stage it, and so when I saw the Siena production I was pleasantly surprised and pleased that they could do so much with it. Just shows that art can trump text.
Ralph Blasting's direction led the student actors to present the story in a well timed and articulate way, with strong performances all around. Mahmood Karimi-Hakak's set was properly unsettling, its this sharp raked triangular areas setting up separate platforms that embodied the disunity of the central trio. Rob Thomson's lighting was masterful.
ptc
And from Professor Cindy Bates of
SUNY Empire State College:
The actors did a wonderful job throughout the performance. I especially loved the final scene between Fr. Flynn and Sr. Aloysius. The intensity of the scene was excellently played out and yet, it was also delicately balanced by the wavering line of whether or not Fr. Flynn was really guilty or not. The innocence of Sr. James was nicely balanced with her passionate heart throughout the production. And the actress playing Mrs. Muller brought to life the difficulty of her and her son's situations while also portraying a deep motherly love.
The set, lighting, and costume designs were all wonderful as well. I found the use of the platforms with their odd angles and somewhat severe rakes to be a great choice that helped symbolize the heart of the play. The stained glass windows set the atmosphere while also adding a delicate beauty to the set. I also found it provocative how they resonated symbolically with the heart of the play's discussion about the delicacy of truth and the shattering of a reputation like the shattering of glass.
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Scott Waldman at timesunion.com notes that "it's the location of the stage that makes a play intriguing." He quote Ralph Blasting's take on the theme of the play "as an exploration of how people struggle to make the right decision when the stakes are high and there is a limited amount of information."
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