Two nuns walk into a psychiatrist's office... Sounds like the beginning to a great joke, doesn't it? This play's not a comedy, but I can't help snickering at the possibilities.
Changing the tone abruptly: The play's about a young nun who was discovered soaked in blood and passed out in her room after giving birth to a baby and strangling it to death with its umbilical cord. She's on trial for murder and must meet with a court appointed psychiatrist to determine her sanity. Her over-protective Mother Superior accompanies her to these meetings with the (of course) atheist* doctor and all three try to come to terms with the atrocity that has occured (while having more discussions about menstruation than an issue of YM). Heavy stuff (no pun intended), but not half as tedious as it may sound. Aside from a few cliched lines and one or two predictable moments, it's a really great play that's intensly engaging but not necessarily cerebral. (lol) It's a strange breed that, although dealing with the question of God, doesn't come off as pro-religion or anti-religion. It takes us somewhere into the gulf that exists between devout Christians and devout atheists. Call it reality with a little more thought put into it.
The lowdown on this particular production: Two of the actors give impeccable performances while the third leaves something to be desired (and that's being polite about it). I won't give names but the third that I'm referring to happens to be married to the director. (That explains a few things.) Anyone ever heard of a conflict of interest?
* "i" before "e" rule exception above. Notice the spelling of "atheist."
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