John Patrick Shanley’s acclaimed Doubt latest adaptation to be directed by Sohaila Kapur

For centuries, doubt and faith have shared an uneasy relationship. Khalil Gibran once said: “Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.” As the two continue to spar, noted theatre practitioner and actor, Sohaila Kapur, brings playwright John Patrick Shanley’s celebrated work — Doubt: A Parable — to the Delhi stage this weekend.

Set in a Catholic school in post-Kennedy America, the play centres on Sister Aloysius, a strict nun who suspects a Father Flynn, a charismatic priest, of inappropriate behaviour with a young male student, Donald Muller, also the school’s first black student.

First staged in 2004, Shanley not only won a Pulitzer and Tony but he was also nominated for an Academy Award, when he adapted the story to the screen in 2009. It has spurred interests of stalwarts in different parts of the world, with Roman Polanski directing it for the Paris stage. Last year, when it was revived for Broadway, Liev Schreiber played the part of the priest.

The poster of the play
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement 

Sohaila discovered it in its cinematic form and later realised its origins on the stage. “I watched the film and exclaimed, What intense performances in intimate spaces and timely issues the writer has taken up — sexual exploitation, intolerance, and lack of certainty! Though it is set in the 1960s, it resonates with our world today. We don’t allow ourselves freedom of thought. We think we do, but we don’t. There is doubt everywhere, and that’s why wars are being fought in different parts of the world,” says Sohaila, a journalist-turned-performing artiste.

Aware of copyright laws, she reached out to Shanley and was directed to the Creative Artists Agency, which represents the playwright. “They have given us a licence for two performances with the condition that we cannot change a word and cannot adapt it to an Indian situation.”

Sohaila says the world has changed. “Nothing is localised today. Small groups can no longer adapt a play they liked quietly. Everything goes online and agencies keep a close eye on it.”

Though the play is set in America, Sohaila feels, it doesn’t make a difference because the issues addressed in the play are universal. “There are not many references to the country. It is about personalities and what they stand for.” Apart from the fact that the agency would have protested, Sohaila says, the risk of adapting it to any religion comes with a new set of problems. 

Sohaila and the cast during the rehearsals
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement 

The dialogues have a political layering that reflects India and the world of today. What touched Sohaila the most is the way the play deals with “the nature of suspicion and gossip — building up a case where there is none. Through the confrontation between the priest and the nun, the play juxtaposes the orthodoxy of religion with its more secular form, and the best part is the writer has left it to the audience to decide.” Another highlight is the intense conversation between the nun and the mother of the student. Struggling to make ends meet, saving her son from a violent priest and providing him with quality education are more crucial than paying heed to the innuendos. Sohaila says the conversation offers a fascinating insight into the contrast between privilege and poverty. “As the priest asks, are we human beings or bundles of ideologies?”

The film version is remembered for its sterling performances by Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis. The writing demands mature actors and Sohaila has shown faith in Kavita Seth, Sanjiv Desai, Kritika Bhatia and Arti Nayar. “You have to live the parts. I was looking to find a combination of talent and dedication, which is hard to find in Delhi these days.”

Alongside, Sohaila is working on a play about the life and times of Dev Anand, her maternal uncle, which will be staged at Shimla’s iconic Gaiety Theatre on September 26 to mark the birth anniversary of the actor.

Doubt: A Parable will be staged on September 4 and 5, 7.30 p.m. at The India Habitat Centre. Tickets on BookMyShow