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Agnes of God by John Pielmeier
Presented by Powderkeg Players
Directed by Kris Weber
Reviewed by Margaret Hassall Theatrecraft September 1996
Cast: Adele Menzie, Sarah Stanhope, Diane Ryan
This great play for three women, written in 1979, is probably more famous as a film, though we see it at least every few years around Melbourne. Dr. Martha Livingstone has to find out, for legal reasons, how a Convent novice, the apparently totally innocent Agnes, gave birth to a baby that was later found dead in a wastepaper basket. She is 'helped' in her investigation by the Mother Superior, Miriam. What the play is about however, is what motivates these three women - what has happened in their past that directs their current actions. No rapist or seducer is identified, though Agnes can tell us nothing of who the father may have been. Miriam would prefer to believe in a miracle, while Martha wants to find "the truth". Much of the action is between these two, and it is their strength of character that carries the play.
As the Mother Superior, Adele Menzie was excellent. Here was a woman who had power and was obviously used to those around her obeying her every command without question. She did not like or want the investigation. Her attitude at the beginning gave the false impression that she was willing to co-operate, but we soon saw how strong she could be in resisting any efforts to uncover the past. Adele wore the traditional full habit of nuns (seen less often nowadays). Very little of her face and body could be seen yet Adele was still able to bring out the character.
In the many scenes with Miriam, Sarah Stanhope as Dr. Martha Livingstone stood up to her well. She too had skeletons from her past, much of which motivated her in her quite ruthless attack on the Convent and the religion it represented. Much of the play is about philosophy, and what people choose to believe in. Many aspects of the Catholic religion are discussed - I don't think you need to be Catholic to appreciate their arguments as the themes are really universal (though there were a few specific amusing references thrown in). Sarah and Adele worked well together, making these confrontational scenes significant and raising the play to a higher, and more interesting level, than the soap opera theme of who was the father of the baby. However, I was not impressed with Sarah in her scenes alone when she addressed the audience. She looked a little uncomfortable here, which was a pity.
Playing the child-like, yet tragic Agnes was Diane Ryan, who also did an excellent job. I think this was a difficult role - on the one hand playing it soft and innocent, and then, when under hypnosis, changing dramatically while reliving scenes from her past.
Full marks to director, Kris Weber, for bringing out the best from her commendable cast. Kris also designed the set, which was simple, even stark, yet effective as it quickly moved from scene to scene. The different rooms for the various scenes were defined as areas on stage that may have a simple prop to identify it. Used in conjunction with the well-designed lighting, this was very effective for the mood and imagery of the play - credit here goes to Peter Taurins, the Visual Designer, as well as the director. Well done Powderkeg!
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