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A timely play that won't settle debates, but may start a few

A timely play that won't settle debates, but may start a few
by Rajkhet Dirzhud-Rashid SGN A&E Writer DOUBT Directed by Warner Shook Starring Corey Brill, Kandis Chappell, Melissa D. Brown, Cynthia Jones Seattle Repertory Theatre September 21-October 21 After my girlfriend and I saw Warner Shook's economically directed 'Doubt' last week, we found that we had more questions and more observations than we'd expected at the beginning of the play. A surprisingly complex gem of a play, 'Doubt' dives deep into the murky waters of the human soul, particularly that of a priest, who might be a pedophile and the nun who comes to accuse him, based on her feelings not solid evidence. Corey Brill plays the charismatic and much-loved Father Flynn and Kandis Chappell plays a stuffy, but well-meaning principal of an inner city Catholic school in the mid-sixties, long before today's current headlines screamed of priest abuses of their young charges. At the beginning, I wanted to believe Sr. Aloysious, the determined nun with a will of iron, but after the few zingers she lets off at the beginning of the play, (directed at a new, and much less steely new nun-Melissa D. Brown), and the laughter which follows those pithy remarks, I wasn't so sure. Could she be just an unhappy person, determined to 'bring down' the powerful priest because of the inequity of the power between women in the Catholic church and men in the Catholic church heirarchy. I can tell you that even after the play's conclusion, you might find that you still have questions as to who was right and who was/is wrong in this multi-leveled play. Also, a big surprise for both of us watching, was the mother of the boy supposedly being abused (a grand performance by Cynthia Jones), who brings up even more intense issues of a different kind of abuse. Funny and at times riveting, this one will leave you thinking and I always believe that's a good thing. For more information on tickets and times, call 1-877-900-9285, or visit www.seattlerep.org.