No Doubts about “Doubt”

The Community Players are finishing their 94^th season July 10 – 19 with Doubt, A Parable by acclaimed playwright John Patrick Shanley.

Doubt takes place in a Catholic school in the Bronx in the early 1960s. Father Flynn, a charismatic priest, is supected of paying too much personal attention to a young student. The unfolding drama engulfs the school’s staunch principal Sister Aloysius, who finds herself in a battle of wills with Flynn.

In 2007, the play was adapted into the Academy Award nominated film Doubt with Meryl Streep and Viola Davis.

The story holds a lot of fascination for director Eric Barbato, who tends to gravitate toward what he refers to as “edgy” material. Doubt also has an ambiguity that appealed to the director. “It’s the type of show where it doesn’t make a conclusion for its audience,” Barbato told Motif.

Barbato has high praise for his cast, which features Aubrie Bagdasarian as the hopeful young Sister James, Mary Paolino as the stoic principal Sister Aloysius, Sonya Johner as the boy’s mother Mrs. Muller and Joe Wilkicki as Father Flynn. “They’re a great crew, they work hard, they laugh a lot,” Barbato said.

Barbato’s involvement with the Community Players began 14 years ago. He served as an assistant director on Jesus Christ Superstar and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and went on to direct I Hate Hamlet.

Barbato hopes audiences will leave Doubt with reflections on how people treat each other in modern society. “We live in an age where it’s so easy to spread a bad or malicious word about anything or anyone,” Barbato noted. “The message (of the play) is make your own choices based not only on what you feel, but on what you see and what you hear and don’t be so quick to judge and destroy a person’s reputation.”

Performances of Doubt are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm. All shows are performed in the Jenks Auditorium, 350 Division St, Pawtucket. For more information, visit their website at thecommunityplayers.org or call 401-726-6860.