NEW YORK
Centre Daily
MICHAEL KUCHWARA
AP Drama Critic
NEW YORK - The avenging angel at the center of "Doubt," John Patrick Shanley's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play, has just gotten bigger, bolder and less subtle.
The esteemed English actress Eileen Atkins has now taken over the role of Sister Aloysius, the take-no-prisoners nun who believes a parish priest is having an improper relationship with a young boy at the local parochial school. And she is determined to bring him down.
Admittedly, Atkins has a tough act to follow: Cherry Jones, whose nuanced performance expertly drove home the uncertainty that underpins Shanley's fine drama. Jones was forceful without being overbearing and, in a weird way, strangely likable.
Atkins, sporting a pronounced Irish accent and what looks like a permanently pinched profile, blazes with an aggressive theatricality. Right from the first moment she appears on stage, you know this is a woman who has definite opinions. There is no room to maneuver in this technically accomplished yet black-and-white performance.