‘Doubt’ Broadway Review: Liev Schreiber and Amy Ryan Battle for the Soul of the Church

John Patrick Shanley’s play receives a knockout revival

Liev Schreiber, Zoe Kazan in "Doubt: A Parable"
Liev Schreiber, Zoe Kazan in "Doubt: A Parable"

“Doubt: A Parable” sets up a fascinating power play between two very unequal forces, and it’s thrilling to watch Amy Ryan’s nun and Liev Schreiber’s priest duke it out for 90 minutes on stage. A feisty revival of John Patrick Shanley’s play opened Thursday at the Roundabout’s Todd Haimes Theatre.

First, let’s applaud the change of that venue’s name. It’s wonderful to see a great impresario honored and not a corporate sponsor. The American Airlines Theatre never sounded quite right.

It’s also nice to report that the first production into the newly renamed theater is a real winner. “Doubt” worked beautifully off Broadway in 2004 (and again, on Broadway the following year), but the dreary 2008 film version with Meryl Streep and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman remains a limp affair that possesses not a smidgen of humor.

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