Review: Doubt A Parable Asks The Big Questions

★★★★½

What do we do when confronted with something that threatens our worldview? Do we double down on our convictions based on a refusal to entertain uncertainty or a fear of change? What if our suspicions are aroused, but for which we have no real proof? Do we proceed with certainty hoping to expose moral corruption, or do we embrace doubt?

These are the big questions John Patrick Shanley asks in his 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Doubt: A Parable, presented by Sydney Theatre Company.

Set in the Bronx in 1964, a time of cultural flux, Doubt: A Parable, as foreshadowed in Father Brendan Flynn’s (Sam Reid) opening sermon, is indeed a parable. Flynn has come to St Nicolas bringing a progressive outlook to a staid, rules-driven order maintained under the omniscient eye of Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Pamela Rabe.)  

But Sister Aloysius’ eye is also on Flynn, because she is convinced he is a danger to a new pupil, the only black child at the school. When Sister James (Shannen Alyce Quan) informs her that Flynn has had a private meeting with the boy, after which the boy appears inebriated, Sister Aloysius determines to be rid of the troublesome (perhaps troubled) priest. But what is fact, and what is conviction? Who do we believe?

The play dances on the edge of tipping one way or the other. It’s a highwire act critical to the ideas contained within. Lean too far one way and the whole thing comes undone. But to director Marion Potts’ immense credit, it doesn’t.

Potts’ tight control, ear for the rhythms of language, and considered blocking that plays with symbolism are exemplary. So too the subtle interrogation of gender roles and power imbalance. Potts ratchets the tension by upping the dialogue tempo, though a consequence is audience overload. We almost need a breather to contemplate proceedings.

Potts has some terrific actors at her behest. Rabe has a mighty presence; she owns this stage. In her clipped Bronx accent, she delivers some very funny putdowns with impeccable timing. Rabe wears her nun’s habit like armour as rigid as her views.

On the smaller-framed Quan, it tends to diminish, intentionally so. Sister James is the blank slate on which the two protagonists compete for ascendancy. Quan handles this difficult role admirably, particularly in the latter scenes.

Reid’s performance is a real eye-opener. He traces Flynn’s smooth assurance to defensive emotional turmoil with complete credibility. He sings beautifully and handles the Bronx accent quite well too (congrats to voice director Charmian Gradwell).

Zindzi Okenyo plays Mrs Muller, mother of the boy, with restrained indignation. In a small but critical role, she gives a pitch-perfect performance that confounds Sister Aloysius’ worldview. 

The set is…wow! Backdropped by photographs of the Bronx, it is a mighty revolving edifice functioning as office, classroom, and church altar. At every turn it looms above the cast, its scale filling the large stage and reminding us of exactly where our human significance lies. Bob Cousins, take a bow.

It’s beautifully lit too by Damien Cooper; certainty’s stark light softening into contemplative tones. Scene transitions are accompanied by compositions from Jessica Dunn that mirror the play’s emotional beats, evolving from beautifully sung choral pieces (cast and Lanneke Jones) to school bells chiming to a jangly, unnerving rhythm. 

Doubt: A Parable is a play that canvasses some big questions, just as relevant today as when it was written, and when it was set. The shouting matches and contrived outrage of social media emanate from the same well of refusal to doubt. We crave certainty more than ever; it’s our default mode.

Though this broader contemporary relevance is hard to ignore, the strength of this play and indeed this production is that it eschews any larger political message. Its laser focus is on the grey shadows of the human condition. 

Shouldn’t we be courageous enough to embrace uncertainty? Then again, would the extent of the Church’s crimes ever have been exposed without the conviction of the accusers? I have doubts.

Doubt: A Parable is presented by Sydney Theatre Company and runs to 2 August at the Roslyn Packer Theatre. 22 Hickson Road Walsh Bay NSW 2000.

Tickets are available here.

Website: https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/2026/productions/doubt-a-parable

Socials: https://www.instagram.com/sydneytheatreco/

Photo credits: Prudence Upton