South Carolina Repertory Company focuses on 'Doubt'

• Photo: Blake White, as Father Flynn, and Barbara Farrrar, as Sister Aloysius, act out a scene from the South Carolina Repertory Company production of “Doubt.”
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The intimate stage at South Carolina Repertory Company, set with the familiar faces, figures and symbols of a Catholic church and parochial school, silently established the social and cultural construct of the "Doubt" story we were about to experience. The members of the sold-out house were ready and anticipated the play action that was to follow.

All seemed to know that the evening's presentation "Doubt: A Parable," the Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning play, written by John Patrick Shanley, would involve, edify and entertain -- and most of all, challenge them to consider issues of doubt and certainty with confident expectations. They were ready, on the edge of their chairs, anticipating questions -- not answers.

Let me just say here, that their anticipation was rewarded, and the evening's production was superlative at every level. The director, Tom Evans, the performers Blake White, Barbara Farrar, Emy Baysic and Joan Valentina, participated in offering a compelling and engrossing theatrical experience. Blunt and subtle, manipulative and charming, they all projected the fullest measure of qualities to be seen and noted as we observed their impact on doubt and certainty, and the impact on their behaviors by doubt and certainty.

The perfectly constructed production, lean and spare, with not one word that was unnecessary, is stop-you-in-your-tracks powerful and stay-with-you-for-a-very-long-time moving. The cast and direction are spot-on, as everything about the play and the performances -- again, which is really an examination of doubt -- looks clear-eyed at truth, faith, trust and authority.

The play, one hour and 25 minutes in length, proceeds by turns, to examine issues that are personal, religious, political and cultural. The only thing better than seeing the one act production, would be to see it at least a second time, so rich is its content and the cast's portrayals.

Shanley, for his part, created four multidimensional characters, (though others, not seen, figure importantly into our understanding) who, through their participation in an event -- or a series of events -- provide the audience the opportunity to engage in up close and personal responses to their own issues of doubt, certitude, truth or faith.

And by the way, though we may have brought concepts of doubt to the theater, we find we must suspend those standards as we become more and more involved in the production. Doubt remains our focus … the story line our reference.

The rigid, controlling Sister Aloysius, played stunningly by Farrar, is a nun and principal at St. Nicholas school in the Bronx. The time is 1964, and issues of sexual abuse were not widely known or discussed. Vatican One and Vatican Two were changing the face of certain concepts in Catholicism, so when Aloysius, for any number of reasons, decides to accuse Father Flynn of inappropriate behavior, the allegation, though unsupported, becomes her unrelenting focus. She is unwilling to doubt. Her actions tell us more about her than about Father Flynn.

Blake White, brings Father Flynn to life, first as we see him as he delivers his first sermon with eloquence and confidence, and then as he faces the impact of Aloysius' allegations with enormous strength and passion. Father Flynn is determined to maintain his innocence, and stay in his position at St. Nicholas. His response, in trying to maintain his innocence, and to convince Aloysius not to proceed with her actions is surprisingly sensitive and forthcoming. Again, the sermons White delivers are show-stoppers. Pay close attention to not only his delivery, but to his message and its application to the play.

Baysic as Sister James offers such a successful fresh balance to Aloysius. She is young, truly loves being with her students and other faculty members, and apparently likes and supports Father Flynn. She is soft and malleable. But doubt is explored through her character by way of her acceptance of circumstance and her apparent hope to avoid conflict and certain personal realities.

The character, Mrs. Muller, the mother of the boy in question, portrayed so artfully by Valentina, is one of the strongest characters in Shanley's quartet. Her performance is equally strong as we see that so anxious is she that her son, the first black student in this private school, and a victim of an abusive father, will take any action necessary, to see that her son remains in place at St. Nicholas.

Just when we in the audience have decided on everybody's behalf, given our own certainties, we are faced with new doubt when we find that Sister Aloyisius, before she became a nun, had been married, and her husband was killed in World War II. We also find that Father Flynn had left other schools before arriving at St. Nicholas, and the reasons for these changes were not clear.Then we find that the Sister James, who truly assisted in the indictment against Father Flynn, was, in the final analysis more anxious to please than to honestly face conflict. And finally that Mrs. Muller was focused on personal issues.

At the play's end, we find that words such as "passionate," "vulnerable," "resilient," "control," "truth" and "faith" capture our imagination in a new way. We reluctantly leave the theater with questions about the existence of certainty … and wondering if our understanding of the play and our interpretations of events, have been changed by doubt.

Shanley's script made possible an incredible theater evening. We are all changed in some way, as we followed the events created by the writer, offered by the interpretation of the actors, guided carefully by the rich direction of Evans.

The Island Packet by HEATHER HOEFER

Acting on faith: 'Doubt' at the SCRC

Whatever you do, don't judge "Doubt: A Parable" by its plot synopsis alone.

The Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play focuses on a parochial middle school in 1964 where a traditionalist nun principal suspects that the priest has an inappropriate relationship with the school's first black student.

But wait a minute -- the show isn't a commentary about the Catholic church's sexual molestation scandals. It's not even a commentary about religion.

"This is not a play that disparages the Catholic church," says Blake White, who plays the lead role of Father Flynn in the upcoming South Carolina Repertory Company's production. "If you are the staunchest Catholic, you're not going to walk out of here offended. You'll be walking out of here thinking."

"Doubt" actually follows a trend of "thinking" films, plays and stories that are more multi-dimensional -- in other words, it's not a formulaic theatrical vehicle with beginning, middle and end. "It's a one-act play," White says. "The second act is the ride home."

In fact, critics hailed "Doubt" on Broadway as a play that ignites conversation among its viewers, citing its multiple layers of issues involving racism, religion and politics. "It played on Broadway for 500 performances," White says. "It was one of the best plays written in the past 15 years."

John Patrick Shanley, an Academy Award-winning screenplay writer, wrote "Doubt" in 2004 and is now set to direct it a film version starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Tom Evans, the play's director, and Barbara Farrar, who plays Sister Aloysius, decided to bring "Doubt" to the Repertory Company's stage after seeing it on Broadway two years ago.

"The curtain came down and we turned to each other afterward and said, 'We have to bring it to the SCRC.' "

Pat and Hank Haskell, the Repertory Company's founders, loved the play so much that "Doubt" is the longest-running play the company has ever had.

"Our audience is great," Evans says. "They like plays that challenge them."

The cast members were on hand last week to discuss the production. One thing is clear: they say audience members can see this play more than once and each time leave with a new opinion. The Repertory Company will host a discussion forum between the audience and cast members. But the cast and the director don't have an opinion of their own.

"I'm on my character's side," Farrar says. "The actor has to be on the character's side."

"Our job is not to tell the audience who is guilty and who's not innocent," Blake interjects.

Evans says people in the audience are like members in a jury. They will find themselves making judgments based on limited knowledge of the situation.

"The play is really showing us how difficult it is to make a moral decision," Evans says. "It's really about acting on faith."

More about Doubt, A Parable

The Island Packet by HEATHER HOEFER

Balkin reviving the spirit of the 'Sizzlin' '60s'

When most people think of the music of the 1960s, names like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead come to mind.

But for Al Balkin, pianist extraordinaire, the '60s were all about Broadway.

"A lot of people think Broadway musicals ended with the 1950s," Balkin says. "There were some awfully good things in the '60s. There was 'Fiddler on the Roof,' 'Camelot,' 'Cabaret,' 'Hello, Dolly,' 'Mame' and 'Man of La Mancha.'"

Balkin will perform selections from these classic shows during a limited performance of "Broadway: The Sizzlin' '60s" that runs through Sunday at the South Carolina Repertory Company. But Balkin is more than an entertainer: The former music professor is known for educating his audience during his performances.

"He started out playing piano while working on his Ph.D. in New York," said Hank Haskell, the business manager for the Repertory Company who has worked with Balkin since 1996. "He developed a reputation with people by talking while playing."

And when it comes to the 1960s, there is much to talk about. "The '60s were probably the most influential, dramatic era since the second World War," Haskell said.

The times directly resonated throughout most of the music world, Haskell said. But with the exception of the musical "Hair," Broadway seemed suspended in time.

Balkin will perform select songs from such Broadway blockbusters as "Camelot," "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," "Hello, Dolly," "Funny Girl," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Man of La Mancha," "Mame," "Oliver," "Promises, Promises" and "Cabaret."

"I tell all about the shows and composers," Balkin says of his performances. "The audience is very receptive -- very, very supportive. This is their era."

Balkin already has brought Broadway stylings from the '40s and '50s to the repertory company's stage, so a show focusing on the '60s seemed a natural fit.

"It's spontaneous," Balkin says of his one-man-show. "I take my cues from the

audience. I'm a jazz pianist. Jazz is improvisation at the heart of it. It makes it more interesting for me than for them."

Balkin is a former Western Michigan University professor who has taught music at every level from nursery school to graduate school. He has written songs for "Captain Kangaroo" and performed on the "Today" show. And he recently created Tune Up To Literacy, a program that introduces and reinforces crucial literacy concepts, such as nouns, vowels and punctuation, through music.

"(Balkin) is uniquely talented in that he can tell a story. He can also play the piano. He also sings," Haskell said. "He brings a triple threat to the show."

The Island Packet by Gail Westerfield

FOXFIRE Glows at South Carolina Repertory Company

Living alone atop an Appalachian mountain, 79-year-old Aunt Annie Nations faces a dilemma: If she sells her land and moves to care for her newly-divorced son Dillard’s two young children, she’ll lose her connection to her five-years-dead husband, Hector, who is still her closest confidant.

Such is the central idea in the South Carolina Repertory’s latest production, “Foxfire,” which tells a multi-generational story from Annie’s youth through to the play’s setting in 1982, while weaving together live music, comedy, Appalachian folk ways, and dramatic conflict.

The idea to bring the show to Hilton Head came from SCRC founder Hank Haskell and his wife, Pat, who saw an early production of “Foxfire” at a festival in Stratford, Canada. Written by Susan Cooper and Hume Cronyn, the play was developed as a vehicle for Cronyn and his wife, Jessica Tandy. But during a “talk back” session with the playwrights following the production, the Haskells offered suggestions that included “better accents and more music.” Two years later, the Haskells caught the production on Broadway, and were happy to find “a lot more music and the addition of Keith Carradine” as Annie and Hector’s son, Dillard.

In the new show, SCRC regular Barbara Farrar plays Annie, and Weldon Durham plays her beloved Hector. Durham describes his character as “a cantankerous, difficult man who’s lived a hard life in the mountains, making a living off the land. He’s a mercurial character with many different sides to him,” including his affection for and dependence on Annie, which extends even beyond his death, and his unmet expectations for his sons, particularly Dillard.

Through flashbacks, the audience sees important moments in the Nations’ story — such as Dillard’s birth and Annie and Hector’s courting days — interwoven with the present-day story of Dillard’s struggles with his life beyond his music and his efforts to bring his mother off the mountain.

Matt Mundy, who sings and plays guitar in the role of Dillard, describes his character’s relationship with his parents as typical of that of a son who rebels against expectations that he’ll follow in his father’s footsteps. Though his father groomed him to take over the family farm, Dillard finds success as a musician, which helps him gain independence, but also creates a rift with his father that never truly heals. Ashamed of his mountain roots, Dillard is aware that his music has become a “hokey” interpretation of its Appalachian origins, and while he always believed he never wanted his parents’ blessing on his calling, he discovers that he truly does.

“Dillard needs his mother, and his mother needs him, but neither of them wants to admit it,” Mundy says. “She’s afraid if she leaves, she’ll lose her connection to Hector. I know she talks to him, and I try to encourage her to ‘let him die.’ ”

Evans notes that “Foxfire” offers “a number of clever revealings about how the old ways were, like ‘planting by the signs,’ and midwifery,” while also telling a story of a contemporary family’s struggles to communicate and connect.

While it’s not a musical, production manager Blake White notes that it is “packed with a lot of beautiful live music from Matt.”

Haskell calls “Foxfire” “a good family play” for the holiday season. And Evans adds, “I love this play. This is the third production of it in a row I’ve directed. It’s such a rich and rewarding experience that I don’t get bored with it. It’s like old friends are up here, walking around in this mountain cabin, and it’s so nice to be sitting in their front yard, watching them.”

The Island Packet, by Nancy K. Wellard

Production of 'Foxfire' touches the heart, soul

"Foxfire" is the term for the bioluminescence created in the right conditions by a few species of fungi that decay wood.

The South Carolina Repertory Company's "Foxfire" glows with an imaginative storyline, a captivating script, solid direction and a pitchperfect cast that absolutely transports this engaging play to the anticipated resolution. The production, which moves by turns from extremely funny to extremely touching, opened last week and will run through Dec. 16. This is an unusual, and engaging treasure; you'll enjoy it.

When Susan Cooper and Hume Cronyn wrote this play, they offered, in addition to the sociological considerations we associate with the "Foxfire" books, a kind of metaphorical appreciation that they developed around the qualities assigned to the foxfire effect … "dealing with the decay of the old orders as they pass and are pushed aside, no longer valued as long-established ways of living, in sync with the seasons … that the old way must fall that we may see the luminescence of their decay as emblematic of a transition."

It is 1982, and as our play begins, we are treated to the details of the setting. A cabin with a porch, a rocker, remnants of an old wagon, a bush and most importantly, a layered and undulating "mountain landscape" designed and painted by Pat Haskell. Distant music contributes to carrying us to the time and place.

Aunt Annie Nations, now 79 years old, played with dignity and elegance by Barbara Farrar, lives in that picturesque, if weathered cabin at the top of a mountain in Rabun County, Ga., surrounded by apple

orchards, the incredible beauty of the setting and little more. She seems to share this kind of solitary existence with her husband of many years, Hector Nations, played with sincerity, irony and gruff good humor, by Weldon Durham. Both Farrar and Durham, in town for this special production, have wide theatrical experience and have appeared in a number of productions at SCRC.

Through an inspired series of flashbacks, we begin to share in the issues they face, the nature, even the beauty of their relationship, its history and its challenges.

Adding important layers to the story are New York actor and singer, Matt Mundy, as their son Dillard. During an unusual visit to the family home, Dillard provides a kind of narrative role, as he establishes the issues of the old and new, while adding depth to his relationship with his parents and with his own family. He's a well-meaning son, father and professional musician who is facing questions about the collapse of his marriage and a concern for the care of his children.

Dillard's a sensitive guy, aware of his shortcomings, many related to the expectations of his father. He also is sincerely anxious to help his mother separate from the family home and from an unusual relationship with Hector. We see he feels that by encouraging Annie to sell the property on the hill, and to join him with his family, a variety of life's external circumstances would be faced, even resolved.

Now would be the perfect time to mention Mundy's musical performance. He plays a fine guitar and sings some beautiful, deceptively moving songs. Issues of the way he now performs are raised, adding another dimension to the context of the play.

It is shortly after we first meet Hector, that we realize that he, in fact, has left this mortal coil, and now lives actively only in Annie's memory. But that said, how incredible that presence is, and how much she seems to treasure those moments they share together, even though he's been in his "wooden box, under an apple tree" for five years.

When Dillard asks Annie specifically, "When you talk to Pa is he there?" She responds by telling him the most emotionally compelling stories … sometimes directly, and sometimes through flashbacks, about her first meeting Hector, his proposal, her response, his illness, even his funeral. And when in one setting,Hector shares that "She's who I value most," we know that these are some of the mostbeautifully acted moments of the evening. We, from our kind of up-close-and-personal position in the audience, see his dependence and her affection, and the emotional importance of their time together.

Central to the play's momentum is the early arrival of Blake White, who plays Prince, the developer who wants to buy Annie's land for a huge new real estate project.

Adding wonderful texture to the ensemble is Megan Bowers, convincing as their neighbor, Holly. She is a true friend, and because of her long association with the family, adds definition to almost all of the transitional issues they face, reminding everyone at every turn, the value of home and family.

When finally, Annie emerges from the door of the cabin, we and Hector are clear that Annie has given more thoughtto, "to everything there is a season." She had said earlier, "you left me five years ago … I watched you go." It is another season.

Prince nails a "Sold … No trespassing" sign on the porch as Dillon and Annie start down the road, belongings in hand. Hector, as has been his custom, darts out from behind the cab and as he reads the posted notice, says, "I guess that'd be me. … But she'll be back."

This is storytelling at its best.

The Island Packet, Friday, October 19, 2007 by Gail Westerfield

'Rabbit' tracks: The South Carolina Repertory Company opens its new season with the critically acclaimed drama 'Rabbit Hole'

The highly acclaimed play "Rabbit Hole," which opens Thursday at South Carolina Repertory Company, takes place in a couple's home, eight months after an accident has killed their four-year-old son. The play won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for drama, received five Tony nominations and earned a Best Actress Tony for Cynthia Nixon ("Sex and the City"), who played the grieving mother, Becca.

But even with such a pedigree, does the dark, loss-obsessed subject matter make this show an unrelenting downer?

Nick Newell, who plays the father, Howie, says that's not the case. "(Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire) was very conscious of not making this subject very melodramatic or painful. Even though it's an incredibly sad subject, it's not an incredibly sad play. It's about coping with loss more than it's about the loss itself. It's a comedy about coping!"

Director Tom Evans agrees. He first caught "Rabbit Hole" on Broadway with his wife, Barbara Farrar (who plays Becca's mother, Nat, in the SCRC production), and he quickly notes the play's many moments of wit.

And SCRC newcomer Ellie Clark, who plays Becca's younger sister, Izzy, notes that when painful events happen in real life, "every emotion is heightened. When there's loss, but the opportunity arises to laugh, it's even funnier than if it hadn't come out of tragedy. So as the audience is watching this, we offer those moments to laugh."

Actress Peggy Trecker, who plays Becca in the SCRC production, said her character responds to her grief at "right angles."

"She thinks, 'I'll get through this by going logical. I just need to do what I need to do,'" Trecker said. "That's just how she deals. But that doesn't mean that she's stuffing her feelings down." (Trecker also admits to feeling a few similarities with her character: "There's a sarcasm about her humor that I identify with, whether I want to or not," she said).

On the other hand, Newell Howie is troubled by his wife's desire to clear the house of all memories of their son. "He still wants to remember," Newell said . "Instead of being painful for him, memories comfort him. Because they're grieving in different ways, there's conflict."

And Farrar says her character, Nat, spends the show trying to compare her grief to Becca's. "She says exactly what she wants to say, and there are repercussions because of that," Farrar said. "She's funny, and you like her, but she's the mother from hell, I think!"

Production associate Blake White summarizes the play succinctly, saying Lindsay-Abaire "has created five immensely likeable, good-hearted characters, each of whom are profoundly affected by this disaster, each of whom deals with it differently, and each way that they deal with it is absolutely respectful and good and worthy. It's just different."

Hilton Head Island Today, by Judith Lawrenson

Rabbit Hole handles loss with gravitas

South Carolina Repertory Company is the fulfillment of a dream. Sixteen years ago it was a tiny block box theatre down on the south of the island. Today, Hank and Pat Haskell have made it the “go to” destination for unique alternate theatre and high quality productions.

Rabbit Hole deals with the aftermath of a family who has lost a young son in a tragic accident. The plot unfolds slowly as we’re kept in the dark about what exactly has happened until events are revealed in conversational or argumentative scenes. The exposition does not seem drawn out, though. You feel as though you are part of their lives and waiting for them to tell you something. Not waiting impatiently, just waiting as you may wait for someone you have not spoken to in a while to tell you a long story.

Each of the actors plays their parts so well you identify with exactly how they feel. I think this is rare in a theatrical production. I seldom lose track of the fact that someone is pretending to be someone else. Everyone was very into their part. Barbara Farrar was fantastic. She played the mother with just the right combination of a whiney, “Oh, poor me. No one ever listens to me,” to the strong, “You can depend on me to understand and help you, darling.”

The husband (Nick Newell), wife (Peggy Trecker), and younger sister (Ellie Clark) were also believable and convincing. They seem to reverse emotions and rethink plans often, which seemed perfectly natural as they shared their grief. This seemed somehow natural as if they were really not sure how to grieve for such a devastating loss. The young boy (Bentley Wynns) had the job of relating a paper he wrote for a high school class to his role in the death and his feelings about the aftermath. This was not an easy job as it all seemed a bit obscure.

I highly recommend this play because of its quality and depth, but even more so because of the topic it raises