Doubt

We finally got to see Doubt. Trudging through the NYC wintry slop of rain and sleet, squeezing into the sardine can seats.
As soon as Brian F. O'Byrne bellowed his first line fro the pulpit, the audience, the noise, the outside world melted away for the next 90 minutes. I love when that happens. When great words and great acting transport you to another place, where you sometimes feel like an intruder who just happened onto that place, hearing things you are not supposed to hear. Thank goodness there was no intermission, the interruption would have just been a nuisance.
John Patrick Shanley has written the tightest, sharpest play I have seen in years. Stripped of anything superfluous, it moves like a dance between four characters. I found myself thinking how interesting it would be to see this story put to dance, as a pas de quatre. Only to realize that a dance was exactly what I was watching.
The acting, perfect. Cherry Jones is brilliant and Brian O'Byrne walked the line so eloquently that my emotions flipped from anger to relief to anxiety to finally, doubt. Beautiful.
I wish all plays were written this well. It is a gem. A perfect little piece of theater.