The setup of Agnes of God looks like your typical “angel on one shoulder, devil on the other” story. The play opens with a Mother Superior introducing herself to a psychiatrist. Each is prepared to wrestle for the soul of a young nun accused of murdering the baby she secretly carried and gave birth to, and each seems primed to unveil the other as an enemy in disguise.
Renaissance Theaterworks has taken a complex, challenging work and taken it to the next level, with director Suzan Fete giving three of Milwaukee’s most talented actresses all the tools they need to make this a battle to remember.
From their first appearances, the women of Agnes of God intrigue us with the mysteries they hold. Dr. Martha Livingston (Laura Gordon) begins with the first of several monologues, playwright John Pielmeier’s method of transitioning from scene to scene and getting inside Martha’s head. Next, we meet Sister Miriam Ruth (Flora Coker), Agnes’ mentor and Mother Superior, whose dry, very un-nun humor is only the first of many surprises she’ll reveal. And then there’s Agnes (Rána Roman), a 21-year-old postulant who is innocent of the world outside her convent. Hidden away in her mother’s home until age 17, she’s subject to visions and she hears voices. She sings with a rapturously beautiful voice that she says is not hers but that of a mysterious “Lady.”
Appointed by the court to serve as a neutral party and decide if the young Agnes is fit to stand trial for the murder of her child, Martha is anything but objective. She is swayed first by lingering hatred for the Catholic Church due to the events of her past. But she quickly becomes entranced by the mystery of Agnes’ story, letting it carry her far from her original mission. Martha loses herself in Agnes’ story and pulls us in with her. Gordon’s magnetic, commanding stage presence keeps us (like Martha) from realizing the dangers of going in so deep until it’s too late.
Coker’s Miriam, on the other hand, can be almost repulsive at times, as our perception of her shifts with Martha’s discoveries. There’s never a doubt in our minds that this nun loves and wants to protect her young charge, but her methods occasionally seem manipulative — even as we partially agree with them. Miriam’s goal throughout the play is to protect Agnes, but Pielmeier’s script and Fete’s presentation deftly manipulate our inclination to side with the seemingly enlightened Martha. Our insights into her mind to trick us into ignoring the red flags she raises.
Roman may have the hardest role, for Agnes is never all she seems. She is ignorant but insightful; pure of soul but tortured as well. Roman walks the line and makes it look easy. Equally effortless-appearing are the songs she sings throughout the production, a cappella hymns and chants delivered with a clarion voice. It should be no surprise that her singing is so stellar. Roman has proven her vocal skills repeatedly in such local productions as In the Heights and Fortuna the Time Bender vs. The School Girls of Doom. And music director Jill Anna Ponasik is one of the city’s finest directors, musical or otherwise.
One of the greatest strengths about Renaissance Theaterworks is its commitment to brilliant, bold choices in design, as well as in play selection and casting. Returning designer Anthony Lyon’s set for this production is perhaps the best example I’ve seen yet. Two chairs, a small bench, and some end tables sit upon plain white flooring, which at the back curves upward into a sloped wall disguising a stairwell — the perfect backdrop for the action on stage. The pièce de résistance comes at the very end of the play — but that’s a visual too perfect to reveal in advance.
RTW’s Agnes of God is an inspired production. Whether or not it’s divinely inspired — well, go see the play and get back to me.
On stage
Renaissance Theaterworks’ production of Agnes of God runs through Feb. 14 at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway, Milwaukee. Tickets are $38 with student and senior discounts available. Visit r-t-w.com or call 414-291-7800 to order.
