Under Suzan Fete’s direction, John Pielmeier’s Agnes of God shines as a detailed psychological portrait of three women in a life-altering situation. In Renaissance Theaterworks’ production, a young nun (Rána Roman) is discovered unconscious with her strangled newborn. During the subsequent police investigation, a psychiatrist (Laura Gordon) is called in to determine whether the young woman is legally sane and fit to stand trial. She goes head to head with the convent’s Mother Superior (Flora Coker) who has very different ideas about how to safeguard the mentally fragile young woman’s wellbeing.
Some of the ideas under investigation here are quite startling. Both Mother Superior and Doctor Livingston seek to help Agnes and yet both invest in her partially because of painful elements of their own pasts to the effect that the true horror of Agnes’ wounded innocence and mental illness overcomes their ability to help her.
All three actresses deliver nuanced and believable performances. Gordon is compelling as a secular humanist for whom “Christ is the mind” but whose personal resentment toward the Catholic Church undeniably colors her perspective. She is particularly impressive in her many soliloquies; a difficult device for any performer to engage, she maintains interest and variety throughout. Coker’s Mother Superior is a rueful but outwardly self-assured leader whose failed marriage and estranged children led her to seek peace in the convent. Whether or not we agree with her tactics, Coker makes her an empathetic character with a wry and worldly sense of humor. As Agnes, Roman emanates childlike innocence in voice and manner, a polished piety covering unbearable sadness. Her transitions from this state to one of frenetic “hysteria” under hypnosis are marvelous.
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Production values are spare but effective. A beautiful soundscape courtesy of sound designer Paul Hurley and musical director Jill Anna Ponasik features ethereal Latin service music running parallel to Roman’s breathtaking live vocals like a supportive angelic choir. Anthony Lyons’ scenic design is likewise striking. Its most eye-catching element is the pure white playing space itself and the area where floor curls up into wall evoking a nun’s habit on a grand scale.
Agnes is weighty theater. The audience laughed where it could and ultimately went away reflective. How can we truly ascribe guilt and innocence when profound abuse and mental illness are involved? Is it ever possible to retain objectivity when the person depending on you triggers your own traumas? Do miracles exist? The play leaves many such questions and, like the real-life events on which it is based, provides no simple answers.
Through Feb. 14 at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets, call 414-273-0800 or visit r-t-w.com.
