
“Doubt” is set in the mid-sixties of the last century, a year after President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas while campaigning for a second term in office. His death coincided with the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican aka Vatican II, which was meant to establish a closer relationship between the Church and contemporary society.
The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy Shocks the World
The setting of the play is St. Nicholas, a Catholic church and school in the Bronx. We write the year 1964. We meet Father Flynn (Brian Tynan) in his church giving a sermon on the distinction between doubt and certainty. The question is “What do you do when you’re not certain?” He refers to the death of President Kennedy who was killed on November 22, 1963, leaving the world in shock and dispair. In Father Flynn’s opinion this was not necessarily negative since it brought people together spiritually. A daring statement that was not shared by everyone.

Anyway, the young progressive priest follows his own instincts and neither cares for other people’s opinions nor for outdated rituals. Besides being the “good shepherd” in questions of faith he wants to be a friend to his pupils. It is one of the priest’s foremost pleasures to coach the school’s basketball team, teaching his boys fairness while strengthening their fighting spirit at the same time.
The Priest and the Nun
The principal of St. Nicholas, Sister Aloysius of the Sisters of Charity (Jan Hirst), is the sheer opposite of Father Flynn. Clad in black from head to toe, the widow of a hero who died during the Second World War, is a rigid self-righteous woman lacking the slightest hint of humour, let alone tolerance towards people who do not share her opinions. She represents one of these rules-bound disciplinarians that do not forgive any shortcomings. You may call her “Big Sister” who is permanently surveilling and watching other people. George Orwell would have taken pleasure in meeting one of his own horror figures in the flesh.
Opponents

It Is no secret that Sister Aloysius utterly dislikes Father Flynn. She criticizes his fingernails which are far too long for her taste and should be cut short. Another unforgivable sin is Father Flynn’s taking three lumps of sugar in his tea. The man is guilty of a sweet tooth. How shocking! While pupils love the friendly progressive priest, they fear the relentless principal of their school. It comes to a show-down between the two opponents when Sister Aloysius becomes aware of a “special” relationship between Father Flynn and twelve-year old Donald Muller, the only black boy in St. Nicholas. Since the boy is mobbed by the other pupils due to his colour, Father Flynn feels obliged to protect him. However, the nun being destitute of any empathy, suspects that the boy has been molested by the priest.
It is just a feeling without any evidence whatsoever. But the sister is absolutely certain that something scandalous is going on between teacher and pupil. When Sister James (Naomi O’Taylor), a young naïve novice, is telling her that she recently smelled alcohol on Donald’s breath, Aloysius is absolutely sure that the priest is guilty of abusing the black boy.
No Way Out – the Die is Cast
Sister Aloysius insists that Father Flynn be removed from her school. She even lies to her superiors to get rid of the priest. Finally, he has to leave St. Nicholas. However, thanks to the male-dominated church hierarchy he is promoted into a higher position in another parish where, as Aloysius suggests, he will continue his pedophile crimes and further poison the boys’ minds.
Donald Muller is heartbroken when hearing that his favourite teacher had to leave St. Nicholas. His mother seeks the dialogue with Sister Aloysius accusing her of doing harm to her son. Does this rigid woman really think that she is doing good? “The world is a hard place. I don’t know that you and me are standing on the same side”, Mrs. Muller says before leaving the rectory. When Father Flynn later faces Sister Aloysius he is furious and near to tears. He accuses her of trying to influence Donald’s mother. “Do you have any evidence to support your accusations against me?” he asks her. No reply. But the nun sticks to her bias. She is sure that Father Flynn will use his new position to molest boys. She knows for sure that this is Father Flynn’s intention. When Sister James joins her later, she sobs: “Oh, Sister James, I have doubts! I have such doubts!”
Doubts about Father Flynn’s Innocence remain…

A great play with many question marks. Can you rely on Father Flynn’s words that he is innocent of any abuse at St. Nicholas? Of course, he can’t prove his innocence. And that is the crucial point. When gossip spreads it is difficult to prove that you are not guilty. We all know the saying: “Where there is smoke, there is fire.”
Can you trust Father Flynn whose intention it is to be his pupils’ guy-like progressive parish priest? The helping hand when any calamities arise that the boys are unable to solve by themselves? Or is he a most talented actor and hiding his bad intentions behind the mask of good guy? Hard to say. While the unbending bigot Sister Aloysia is as sure as a rock that the priest is a pedophile, most of her colleagues do not agree with her. Particularly Donald and his fellow students feel that the priest is the “good shepherd” teaching them values for their adult life in a hard world.
Bert Brecht, the great German poet and theatre aficionado would probably close this review with these words: We are standing here sort of spell-bound and have no answer to any of the questions posed in the play. Curtain.
A wonderful drama featuring four outstanding actors. Also a big hand for director Dean!
Last performance of “Doubt” on April 12, 2025. Tickets under phone number 040 – 227 70 89 or online under www.englishtheatre.de
Next premiere: “Anthropology” be Lauren Guderson, on May 5, 2025
All photos by Stefan Kock.
