Elden Street Players' Skill Is the Only Certainty in 'Doubt'

With their stunning production of the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama "Doubt, a Parable," Elden Street Players audaciously invite comparison of their work with not only this spring's much-lauded production of the show from a top regional theater in the area, but also the original Broadway star's version, which toured here last year. With memories of those productions still vivid, their bold move is another reminder of just how talented this troupe is. And, yes, their work compares well.

Under director Gloria DuGan's steady, insightful guidance, and outstanding work from the cast of four, this is a brilliant study in moral indecision, an intellectually stimulating exercise that engages the mind much as a detective mystery might.

The Herndon company claims to be the first community-based theater company to get the rights to present "Doubt," an opportunity that caused them to cancel a previously scheduled play. That's a smart move, as "Doubt" might end up as the most-performed drama on professional stages across the country in 2008, and a movie version will be released at year's end (Meryl Streep fans, take note). By that time, it seems few theatergoers will have missed John Patrick Shanley's intense examination of uncertainty, which he frames as a byproduct of change. If you love theater and have yet to see this four-year-old play, already considered a classic, this is as good an opportunity as you are likely to get.

"Doubt" is set in a Catholic church and school in the Bronx in 1964. The Catholic Church and the nation are struggling with a world turning upside down. The revolutionary Second Vatican Council seeks to redefine the church for a modern world, but the effort to reconcile differing views results in what traditionalists feel are deliberate ambiguities. The country is still reeling from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a profound assault on the national psyche. The Beatles are conquering America, and the civil rights movement is gathering steam; the culture is rapidly transforming. The changes even reach into the confines of St. Nicholas Church.

But Sister Aloysius (Jane MacFarlane), the school principal, rigidly resists change. She is a hands-on administrator, concerned about the children in her charge. Meanwhile, popular Father Flynn (Todd C. Huse) broadly welcomes the new world. These two strong-willed characters are on a collision course, with young and impressionable Sister James (Cassie Lee) caught between them. The tensions boil to the surface when Sister Aloysius suspects Father Flynn has "interfered" with a male student. She claims certainty but has no definitive proof. And Flynn turns out to be a wily manipulator. The conflict between them has wide-ranging repercussions but is based on ephemera.

Intriguingly, even as Shanley gradually exposes the pedophilia crisis that will later rock the church, it becomes apparent his focus is actually on showing how fragile a concept certainty can be. Here, nothing is certain, even the reaction of the boy's mother (Lolita-Marie).

DuGan's direction is so tight that it seems every movement or gesture underscores an idea or amplifies an emotion, perfectly suiting the compact dialogue. MacFarlane is flinty and forceful but never falls into stereotype. She delicately reveals an emotional and intellectual underpinning for the character's rigidity that generates understanding and empathy. Huse's Flynn is arrogantly inscrutable, his convivial charm barely masking a coldness that might be more than Shanley intended but that plays nicely against MacFarlane's unexpectedly textured warmth.

Lee is appealingly sunny as young Sister James, but she deftly melts into the shadows of indecision as the character allows herself to be swayed by the others. The mood is solidly intellectual until Lolita-Marie pumps passion into the proceedings, balancing a mother's love with a shockingly pragmatic approach to life. It's a difficult role to play, but she makes the contradictions believable.

In the end, Shanley poses many more questions than he provides clear answers for, but Elden Street Players provide a clear path to search for them through self-exploration. Of that, there is no doubt.

"Doubt, a Parable," continues through June 28, performed by Elden Street Players at Industrial Strength Theater, 269 Sunset Park Dr., Herndon. Showtime Fridays and Saturdays is 8 p.m. Performances are also scheduled at 7 p.m. Sunday and at 8 p.m. June 26. For reservations, call 703-481-5930. For information, visithttp://www.eldenstreetplayers.org.