By Celia Wren
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, October 25, 2006; C05
In our health-conscious era, you'd almost expect "Agnes of God" to carry a Surgeon General's Warning: "This play incorporates cigarette smoking as a crucial piece of symbolism (even though in real life, the habit is hazardous to your health)."
Fortunately, Sheri S. Herren makes the most of that symbolism as she tackles the role of Dr. Martha Livingstone, the nicotine-addicted ex-Catholic psychiatrist who's central to John Pielmeier's 1979 drama. Herren has a delectably rich, resonant voice -- when she speaks, you find yourself thinking about bourbon and golden syrup. And since the actress is also equipped with much intensity and poise, her performance is one of the gentle pleasures of the Keegan Theatre production.
Not that she's the only good thing about this solid, well-controlled production, which is smartly directed by Susan Marie Rhea.
Pielmeier's theologically tinged whodunit -- about a nun accused of murdering her baby and the psychiatrist assigned to determine the young woman's sanity -- has attained the status of an old chestnut (there was, after all, the 1985 film version that starred Jane Fonda). Nevertheless, the play remains an effective, relatively suspenseful exploration of the human need for faith -- not a topic to ignore at a time when religion haunts national and international politics.
Dr. Livingstone's determination to find her spirituality in science burns as brightly as the cigarettes she is never without. In the Keegan production, Herren pulls off this trait with conviction, whether she's stubbing out half-smoked butts in a silver ashtray or making her unhurried way through another of Livingstone's wry, candid monologues. And she certainly looks like a medical professional who could charge by the minute, dressed in the no-nonsense black trousers and tightly buttoned jacket contributed by costume designer Maggie Butler.
Linda High is equally persuasive as the observant, hard-boiled Mother Superior, whose faith is tempered by realism. There's an apt tension in all her scenes with Herren, making for a particularly enjoyable moment when relations between the two women thaw briefly during a good-humored discussion about which Christian saint would smoke which brand of cigarette.
Ghillian Porter's straightforward, smooth-surfaced Agnes is a little bland, but she does an impressive job in some of the play's more emotionally wrought scenes.
The three women cut dramatic profiles against George Lucas's simple set: hanging white sheets that flank a pile of raised platforms, forming a kind of tabernacle around a prayer stall and Dr. Livingstone's chair. The sheets carry inevitable associations of sexuality, and they allow for some theatrical shadows after characters exit the main part of the stage.
The streamlined visual aesthetic suits the emotionally compelling sound design, which samples the works of medieval composer (and nun) Hildegard von Bingen. It's an obvious but atmospheric touch, and one that complements Pielmeier's user-friendly rumination on mysticism.
Agnes of God, by John Pielmeier. Direction and sound design by Susan Marie Rhea; lighting, Dan Martin. Approximately 2 hours 15 minutes. Through Nov. 19 at the Church Street Theater, 1742 Church St. NW. Call 703-892-0202 or visit http://www.keegantheatre.com .
