Chris McGarry plays Father Flynn, the priest under suspicion for abusing children in “Doubt,” John Patrick Shanley’s brilliant play at National Theatre.
“From an actor’s point of view, I’m impressed by how beautifully Shanley maintains ambiguity,” McGarry says. “For my part, I try to be as neutral as possible, not too guilty, not too innocent. Only the playwright, director and I know what really happened. None of the others know.”
“Doubt” generates strong opinions among the audience members because it deals with an important and newsworthy social problem. McGarry and Cherry Jones, as his adversary, get nightly feedback by watching the audience on the monitor. When they come offstage every evening, they compare notes.
“Each group is different,” McGarry says. “Cherry’s on a witch hunt. The audience may love her and hate me one evening, and vice versa the next. We’ve polled them and find that a quarter of people think I’m guilty, a quarter believe I’m innocent, and half of them have doubts.
“Cherry has made her choice. Her take is that I’m guilty. Sister James, the character played by Lisa Joyce, is the eyes of the audience. Their opinions waver back and forth throughout the play.
“The scene that affects them the most is when Mrs. Muller, mother of a student, pulls the rug out from under everyone. Because she has an entirely different take on the situation, the audience becomes very quiet and riveted.”
McGarry, a member of The Actors’ Studio and LAByrinth Theater Company, has collaborated with Shanley five times, once as a director of the playwright’s “Sailor’s Song,” a Drama Desk nomination. In addition to regional, Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, his television credits include “The Sopranos,” “Law & Order” and “Kidnapped.”
While attending high school in South Plainfield, N.J., he took a class in Shakespeare, subsequently received an award for best actor and was instantly hooked on theater. Like most actors, he prefers the stage to film and television for the ease of communicating with the audience. McGarry regards “Doubt” as one of the most important dramas in recent years.
“This is a parable,” he says. “One of the central themes in Shanley’s writing is emotional conflict. Even though we want to have certainty, doubt helps us learn, grow and become open to opposing views.”
‘Doubt’
March 13 to 25
» Venue: National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave.
» Performances: 8 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Sunday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
» Tickets: $38.75 to $78.75; visit Telecharge.com or call 800-447-7400, or National Theatre Box Office
» Information: www.nationaltheatre.org or www.doubtthetour.com
