‘Doubt: A Parable’ Is Thought-Provoking, Electrifying Theatre 

Pamela Rabe and Sam Reid are utterly brilliant in Sydney Theatre Company’s latest production of Doubt: A Parable, a thorny work from John Patrick Shanley adapted brilliantly by director Marion Potts. Across its short runtime, Doubt judiciously deploys its brilliant actors and some particularly inspired stagecraft to address a complicated thematic framework – one that makes the show an essential watch for the world of Sydney theatre in 2026.

Set within a strict Catholic school in early 1960s New York, Doubt primarily tells the tale of Sister Aloysius (Rabe), the institution’s gruff headmistress, and hotshot progressive priest Father Flynn (Reid). Aloysius suspects the Father of inappropriate behaviour with the school’s only Black student, Donald Muller.

Flynn obviously denies the allegations, attempting to explain himself as a supportive force for the boy. Alas, Aloysius is unswayed by his pleading, despite the pushback of Sister James (Shannen Alyce Quan) and the boy’s mother, Mrs. Muller (Zindzi Okenyo). Is Aloysius right to doubt Flynn? And is she as sure of herself as she claims?

A thorny, brilliantly performed work

What is for sure is that the play is largely from Sister Aloysius’ point of view. Yet despite her being the point-of-view character for much of the play, it is initially difficult to like her; she is strict and dogmatic even by Catholic standards, chastising the far younger Sister James for being enthusiastic about teaching her students history.

Writer John Patrick Shanley goes to great lengths to make her borderline antagonistic throughout the opening section of Doubt, especially when compared to the relentlessly affable Father Flynn, which makes the allegations she makes towards him all the more complicated. Is she skeptical of his charisma, or does she have genuine cause for concern?

To avoid spoiling any major elements of this brilliant play, the fact that Aloysius does have cause for genuine doubt about Flynn’s makes the whole thing that much more complicated. Reid is frighteningly charismatic as the Father, and it’s not difficult to see why those around him are drawn into his orbit. It’s hard to avoid asking yourself – could a man so put together and seemingly kind really do what he’s accused of?

Such is the question that plagues Sister James and the boy’s mother, Mrs. Muller, both played brilliantly by Shannen Alyce Quan and Zindzi Okenyo specifically. Quan’s voicework is particularly impressive, evoking a particular kind of mid-20th century American that is rife with both optimism and naivety. Meanwhile, Okenyo’s Mrs. Muller is much more in tune with the ways of the world as a Black woman in the 60s, and her single major scene is a real heartstopper.

Pamela Rabe is particularly excellent in Doubt: A Parable

Yet the best performance in the show certainly comes from a brilliant Pamela Rabe as Aloysius. Although the entirety of the show feels somewhat “heightened” in its dramatic delivery, Rabe’s version of this gruff headmistress feels so immediately identifiable. We’ve all met a person like her who appears to have an exterior made of steel, but holds a tremendously strong moral conviction within herself, and Rabe is able to brilliantly capture that person on stage in all her complexity.

Whether that moral perspective is right is up to you: a question reinforced by a brilliantly designed set courtesy of Bob Cousins that constantly rotates to change scenes and show new angles to this tale, almost always coinciding with new information that we as audience members receive. The rules change even up to the breathtaking final scene, which raises further questions on the nature of what we’ve seen.

But unlike other plays with open-ended endings, Doubt: A Parable leaves no bitter taste in the mouth. Instead, it provokes and prods the limits of our personal moral frameworks with its difficult and multifaceted subject matter, which is made all the better by a truly outstanding cast and crew. Despite its name, there’s absolutely no doubt that it’s worth seeing this electric, thought-provoking show.

Doubt: A Parable is playing now at the Roslyn Packer Theatre.