The ever elusive question that runs prominently throughout John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt" is one that is not everyone's particular favorite, or at least mine but I do it as a performer: "why?" You're asking that question at every turn this drama takes, and you're even asking it after you've left the newly named Todd Haimes Theater. I've been reading many of Shanley's works these days, and while coming to understand his strange-yet-somehow-heightened-at-times language he creates his stories with, I was personally floored in how such a play can grab an audience's attention through its enigma-like characters and their choices that can either raise a red flag in your mind or make your sympathize with one more than the other, and I know I wrestled with that a lot tonight. However, I will say there isn't a ton to marvel at in this somewhat lackluster production. Don't expect a set or costumes that are spectacular, but the lighting and sound do a fantastic job in creating that brooding, tense, eerie, suspenseful church atmosphere that it did send a shiver or two down the spine. Even Scott Ellis' direction felt kinda lazy a majority of the time, but somehow I was still all ears. A lot of that had to do with this production's cast. Isabel Keating (taking over for Tyne Daly as she's withdrawn from the show) stepped in without missing a single beat; she commanded the stage and always appeared to one with the upper hand as her tactics were nuanced yet mighty until she finally came crashing down at the very end (the poster-child for "The show must go on"). Liev Schrieber took me some time to adjust to as I thought he was lacking motivation as the play began, but as it progressed he slowly began to evolve and fight for his character's reputation or is it something much darker he's worried about coming to light? Again, that's up to you. Zoe Kazan was a joy as the only innocent one in this story; your heart could just break for her. It's hard for me to say a ton about Quincy Tyler Bernstine as she was only onstage for less than 20 minutes, but she knew how to deliver a few punches via the shock factor in such a short amount of time that it was impressive. No, "Doubt" is not a perfect production for Roundabout Theatre Company, especially for its first time back on Broadway since the 2000's. But if you're walking out onto the street post performance with your mind spinning with a million "whys," then it must have done something right in its storytelling.
