Doubt at Maidment Theatre

Elizabeth Hawthorne plays Sister Aloysius with clarity and subtlety

A play about paedophilia in the Catholic Church seems an unlikely prospect for an evening's entertainment but, in the hands of writer J.P. Shanley, the subject matter is a springboard for an exhilarating journey into the culture wars that have polarised Western society since the 1960s.

The confined microcosm of a small Catholic School miraculously expands to encompass a constellation of ideas that are immediately recognisable and relevant.

The play avoids the familiar polemics of the culture wars and introduces a world where doubt and ambiguity are the ruling deities. The effect is something akin to aporia - the blessed condition that emerges when the conventional sides of an argument cancel each other out, opening a space for original and creative thinking.

The drama hinges on a fierce contest between an old school nun, Sister Aloysius, and Father Flynn, a hip, young progressive. She is cold, rigidly authoritarian and hopelessly old-fashioned while Father Flynn appears to be broad-minded, charismatic and humane.

But as Sister Aloysius relentlessly pursues her suspicions about Father Flynn's relationship with a black student, the audience is invited to question its assumptions. We come to see the virtue contained in the nun's unshakeable certainty and recognise the weakness at the heart of the priest's liberal tolerance.

The story brilliantly encapsulates the central paradox of a society that longs for decency and ethical certainty but vigorously rejects any notion of authority or constraint on personal freedom.

Colin McColl's restrained direction and John Parker's austere design are perfectly suited to a drama that depends on subtleties of performance.

The superb cast is given the space to project the inner lives their characters and their reserved, low-key performances deliver a huge pay-off when the drama builds towards explosive intensity.

Elizabeth Hawthorne's characterisation of Sister Aloysius is a masterpiece of clarity and subtlety with the nun's steely exterior softened by a sly humour and surprising vulnerability.

Latham Gaines is equally impressive and his showdown with Sister Aloysius is a riveting confrontation.

Goretti Chadwick is convincing as the mother of the black student who brings a startling new perspective to the drama. Her world-weary presence introduces a different set of priorities and she is the only character who comes close to unsettling Sister Aloysius.

The 90-minute running time is designed to encourage the lengthy discussion that will be stimulated by this remarkable play. It reminds me of the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel - neither party can claim victory and Jacob is content to leave with both a wound and a blessing.