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More than a mystery
By JOY DAVIS-PLATT, Times Staff Writer SPRING HILL -- Sister Agnes is unusual and fragile. When the young nun is accused of secretly delivering, and then murdering, a baby in her room, two other women engage in a battle of wills that could cost Agnes everything. Stage West Community Playhouse will present Agnes of God, John Pielmeier's prize-winning drama about three women caught up in a mystery, beginning today in Stage West's Forum Theater. Director Toni Best, known for her work on comedies and musicals, said the weighty script has given her an opportunity she had long hoped for. "I have always wanted to direct a straight drama," said Best, who last directed Stage West's production of Dracula in 1999. "And God has given me a wonderful cast, so this is my miracle." The production pairs Best with Morgana Sheldon, an actor she first directed eight years ago, when Sheldon was just 13, in a production of Snow White. Just as she did eight years ago, Sheldon is playing the title role. Agnes, who is the mother of the dead child, has blocked out all memory of the birth, the murder and even the conception. She is a nun who seems to be almost incredibly naive and perhaps a holy innocent, close to God in a way more appropriate to the Middle Ages than today. Or perhaps she is merely insane. "This is the deepest part I've played," said Sheldon, who works as a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs. "This girl is more complex than any of the others, and her story is very touching." As Agnes becomes the eye of a brewing storm, the tension takes its toll on the young nun, who has spent her life shielded from the world. "I really think that she is an innocent," said Sheldon. "She's just a poor soul who doesn't know anything about the world." The real battle of wills is waged between Mother Superior Miriam Ruth, who wants Agnes left alone, and Dr. Martha Livingston, a psychiatrist sent to establish Agnes' legal sanity who becomes determined to help her win a grasp on reality. Pat Ryan, who makes her Stage West debut as Mother Superior, said that despite the play's religious themes, the story goes far beyond them. "This is a story of redemption," said Ryan, who recently moved to Spring Hill from Naples. "And more than Agnes, this is the story of Dr. Livingston and her struggle." However, all three of the play's characters are rich with conflict and inner tension, she said. Mother Superior is "a very complicated lady, and that is very challenging. It's not the hero in the white hat and the villain in the black. It's much more subtle and complex," she said. Mollie Lutz, who won Stage West's HAMI Award in 1999 for her role as Mrs. Baker in Come Blow Your Horn, said her role as the chain-smoking psychiatrist can be as grueling as it is rewarding. A lapsed Catholic with grievances against the church, the psychiatrist is determined to uncover the mysteries surrounding Agnes and the dead child. "She really does want to believe in God. She's hurt, bitter with her life," she said. There are almost as many answers to be found as there are questions. In the end, audiences are left to decide for themselves the mystery of Agnes of God. If you goWHAT: Agnes of God WHERE: Stage West Community Playhouse Forum Theater, 8390 Forest Oaks Blvd., Spring Hill WHEN: Opens today and continues weekends through Aug. 18. Shows are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays. TICKETS: Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students 17 and younger. The theater's box office is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and one hour before each show. Call 683-5113.
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From today's Hernando Times Letters |
