Milbelynn’s Mrs. Muller is beyond doubt a deeply honest and detailed portrayal in John Patrick Shanley’s classic.
“Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty” -Father Flynn. This chilling line from John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece highlights his ability to create characters who are invariably juggling truth and consequences. Doubt: A Parable is a potent and thrilling drama, in which all questions are raised and none are answered. Set against the backdrop of a 1960s America in the midst of political and social change, a progressive young priest’s conduct comes under question by Sister Aloysius Beauvier, a Bronx school principal whose beliefs are deeply rooted in tradition, who takes matters into her own hands.The themes are loaded with various power struggles concerning church hierarchy, all while underlying racism, civil rights, and women’s rights.
Father Flynn, played by Daniel Patrick Smith, opens with a sermon about doubt, with hints of submission and obedience that raise uncertainty within the first five minutes. Morgan Smith plays Sister James, an exuberant school teacher whose student, Donald Muller, is caught at the center of Sister Aloysius’ suspicion toward Father Flynn. Sister Aloysius, Sebastian Ryder, is a relentless rebuttal against Smith’s pastor. In an endeavor to ascertain her suspicions against Flynn, she calls Mrs. Muller, Milbelynn, into her office. As Donald’s mother, Mrs. Muller bears the pain and struggles her son must face as the only boy of color in the school.
One thing that is certain, is that Milbelynn, who plays Mrs. Muller, is a titan in her industry. She delivers aching truths of racial disparities with a deeply honest execution that exudes devotion, passion, and commitment to her craft.
The simplicity and functionality of the rotating scenic design by Alexander Diaz and emotive lighting design by Rachel Budin all work in tandem to steer the ship between beauty and discomfort. In a production directed by Michael Whitney, the complexities and darknesses of shame and deception unravel in real time.