Doubt is the latest play to hit Sydney Theatre Company stages and is one of the most hyped productions of the season, with Sam Reid and Pamela Rabe leading a star-studded cast in the Roslyn Packer Theatre. The play focuses on a heavily religious school in the 1960s where a Black student is admitted for the first time. The school is led by the fierce headmistress, Sister Aloysius (Pamela Rabe) who immediately establishes her strong and forthright persona, in contrast to the doe-eyed Sister James, who has just started at the school (Shannen Alyce Quan). 

Sister Aloysius is highly suspicious of Father Flynn, (Sam Reid), who represents a new, more modern style of priest with his long fingernails, his love of sports and his engaging persona with the young students. When Sister James reveals that Father Flynn had a one-on-one meeting with Donald, the young Black student, in the rectory, Sister Aloysius sets out on a crusade to uncover the truth and get Father Flynn cast out of the school.

The result is a compelling 90-minute production that twists and turns in ways the audience can’t predict as Sister Aloysius’s suspicions become known. Under Marion Potts’ assured direction, what also becomes clear is that everyone in this show has their own agenda informed by their own experiences and prejudices. Sister Aloysius is deeply intolerant, which leads to her initial suspicion of Father Flynn, founded or unfounded as it may be while Father Flynn, while seeming to be the modern and progressive priest, still strongly upholds the hierarchy of the church when challenged and ultimately relies on it for protection.

One of the most pivotal scenes in the whole production involves Donald’s mother (Zindzi Okenyo), who comes to the school to meet with Sister Aloysius about her concerns, revealing the extent to which prejudice affected Black students at that time and how it manifested, prompting a very different reaction to Sister Aloysius. It’s a scene that generates an audible gasp from the audience but it’s one that makes sense given the context and once again highlights the relative privilege (and indeed biases) that Sister Aloysius has.

The acting in this play is phenomenal, with Reid doing an extraordinary job of balancing the progressiveness of Father Flynn whilst also exposing his darker side, leaving enough doubt in the audience’s mind as to his guilt or innocence. Rabe is also fabulous as Sister Aloysius, maintaining the steadfastness of her character all the way through. Quan is a little bright in her delivery at times but conveys the innocence of the young sister very well while Okenyo steals the one scene she’s in with a fantastic performance. This year, Artistic Director Mitchell Butel has really put together some extraordinary acting casts and this is very much up there with the best.

Bob Cousins’ turntable set is also beautiful, really adding to the ambience of the production, while the pacing is just perfect at 90 minutes, preventing it from dragging while still exploring the issues in great detail. By the end, the acting is so strong that no one knows whether the priest is actually guilty or not. Although there is a pivotal revelation by Sister Aloysius at the end of the play, which evokes another audible gasp from the audience and does seem to sway the view one way, what is clear is that the power structures surrounding the characters remain strong and ultimately dominate, providing respite for some while disempowering so many others. While this is obviously a thought-provoking play about the church, it also has much broader themes of power, race, religion and gender, and feels strikingly modern even in a very specific historical context. 

Overall, this is an extraordinary production which showcases Sydney Theatre Company at its very best with an amazing script, brilliant acting and superb execution. There really is nothing to fault in this production, which nails every moment and resulted in a huge standing ovation from the audience afterwards. Sydney Theatre Company is on fire this year and this is yet another production not to miss. 

Rating: ★★★★★

Doubt plays at the Roslyn Packer Theatre until 2 August. For more information, click here. 

All photo credits: Prudence Upton