Pangdemonium's 'Doubt: A Parable'

Watched Pangdemonium's adaption of John Patrick Shanley's play, 'Doubt, A Parable' (2004). This, thankfully, wasn't as tedious as the theatre company's three-hour-long 'People, Places & Things'. 'Doubt, A Parable' clocked in at a very comfortable one hour and thirty minutes without no intermission. 

I remember that the 2008 film that was adapted from the play, but didn't have much impression of it beyond thinking that people are going to have such doubts indeed, of their religious leaders. That was before the now public facts of prevalent and widespread sexual abuse of children religious elders, and a seemingly systemic issue within the Catholic church. The film starred Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, as well as Viola Davis and Amy Adams. 

Directed by Timothy Koh, Pangdemonium's adaption stars Ching Shu Yi (Sister James), Jason Godfrey (Father Brendan Flynn), Neo Swee Lin (Sister Aloysius Beauvier) and Sharon Frese (Mrs Muller). The play is set in a Catholic parish in 1964, Bronx, New York. The anti-climatic ending disappoints many, seemingly a parallel to many accused priests getting away with clergical punishment or social justice. 

The play is very heavy on the dialogue, and the words are lengthy. The actors carried the words through fine, although I felt that the conflict within the individuals didn't come through strongly. The accusations and opposing sides of Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn weren't strong enough, I felt. Father Flynn simply capitulated to Sister Aloysius's needling, without much warning. I was like, 'huh? that was all it took?' Of course the play left everyone in doubt, the characters, and us, the audience. What sort of doubt, you'll have to ask yourself.

What do you do in a situation like this? Your faith is tested and shaken, you deal with skepticism and uncertainty, and a very serious set of accusations and possibilities. What is intention? What is truth? Is it okay to live in doubt? Is it okay to live in uncertainty? (No, I'm not okay with that.) The ideological arguments in this play in 1964 or 2004 or 2008 are still valid and relevant in 2023.