Doubt comes to Bengaluru, courtesy Poochu's Productions

The Hindu

14-05-2025

Have you ever been beset by uncertainty over what you have always known to be true? Doubt written by John Patrick Shanley in 2004, puts human relationships and emotions under an unforgiving microscope, and this weekend, Chennai-based Poochu's Productions brings this play to Bengaluru.
Set in Chicago in 1964, Doubt is centred around accusations of an inappropriate relationship between a Catholic priest and a child. Denver Anthony Nicholas, who has directed this adaptation, says the reason this play was chosen was, 'the way it allowed the audience to make their own decision.'
He adds that Doubt does not tell you who is right or wrong, 'it just leaves you in the grey area of assumptions and accusations.' 'What makes Doubt different is that it not only brings about the awareness of an issue, but also an awareness of the people involved.'
Denver elaborates how the mother of the child in the play ponders if the priest is at fault or 'if it was in her son's nature'. It is an interesting, insightful take on human behaviour and perception, says the director.
Though there are layers to the script crafted around the Civil Rights Era, Denver says it is the mother's observation that cemented the choice of play for him and lead actor Karthik TM. The duo, who pored over scores of scripts, decided against an Indian adaptation or contextualisation of Doubt when they finally settled on it.
With Doubt set in a certain time period, other iterations of this play have seen adaptations of Indian characters to fit the narrative. 'This was something I didn't want to do because I believe 99 out of 100 theatre-goers are sensible people who will understand the setting in which the script was penned,' says Denver.
And even though Doubt is positioned in the context of a Catholic setup, the questions it throws up are applicable to any human circumstance and situation. 'It makes you doubt everything about human relationships,' he adds.
'Doubt requires more courage than conviction does, and more energy; because conviction is a resting place and doubt is infinite,' reads the preface to Doubt by playwright John Patrick Shanley and sets the tone for the play which runs for 90 minutes.
The play is tightly knit with performances by Deepa Nambiar as Sister Aloysius, Father Flynn played by TM Karthik, Abinaya Ravindranathan as Sister James and Dakshana Rajaram as Mrs Muller.
Doubt by Poochu's Productions will be staged at Ranga Shankara on May 18 at 3.30pm and 7.30pm. Open to those aged 16 and above. Tickets on BookMyShow.