Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You
by Christopher Durang
Directed by Gary F. Bell
Stray Dog Theatre
December 14, 2023
Tommy Pepper, Sarajane Clark
Photo by John Lamb
Stray Dog Theatre
Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All For You has something of a controversial history. Christopher Durang’s pitch-dark satire of Catholic Church teachings, particularly in American parochial schools, has been the subject of protests and complaints over the years. It’s also the latest “alternative” holiday offering from Stray Dog Theatre. With a strong cast and simple but effective staging, the show certainly makes a memorable impression.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see this production until late in its run, and it closed this past weekend, so this is an “after the fact” review. Still, Sister Mary made her mark, as the titular nun (Sarajane Clark) started out on a simply decorated stage backed by a large Christmas wreath, poised to teach the audiences the basics of Catholic belief, in her own insistently cheerful manner. Occasionally, she would call on one of her young pupils, Thomas (Tommy Pepper) to recite various points of doctrine. After a series of pointed lessons on matters such as Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, a group of former students appeared to enact a Christmas pageant apparently written by another former student, although it’s basically reiterating a lot of Sister Mary’s own lessons. Soon, we learn that the now-adult former pupils–Gary (Stephen Henley), Diane (Rachel Bailey), Philomena (Eileen Engel), and Aloysius (Sean Seifert) have their own agenda, and it’s not one that the rigid Sister Mary is going to like. From there, the story went into a series of directions, some fairly predictable and others downright shocking. There isn’t much else I can say without spoiling the story, but I’ll just say that Sister Mary certainly had some tricks up her sleeve (or in her sock), leading to an especially dark conclusion that will probably stick in the memory of audience members for quite a while.
The staging is well-paced and brisk, focusing on the towering performance of Clark as the determined, insistently staunch Sister Mary Ignatius. Regardless of whether or not you agree with her interpretations of Catholic doctrine, it’s clear that Sister Mary is not going to budge in her stance. Clark also maintained a cool, cheerful veneer most of the time that added a degree of menace to her characterization, which was in keeping with the icy, super dark tone of this piece. Young Pepper as Thomas was also memorable, cheerfully obeying Sister Mary no matter what she asked him to do. There were also convincing performances from Henley as Gary, who has a secret he knows Sister Mary won’t like; as well as Bailey as the assertive Diane; Engel as the conflicted Philomena; and Seifert as the increasingly nervous Aloysius. The confrontations are believable and increasingly volatile, with convincing performances by all the cast members.
Technically, the staging was fairly simple, but it worked well considering this is supposed to be a presentation on a stage at a church, which made the Tower Grove Abbey space especially ideal for this show. Justin Been’s set, Gary F. Bell’s costumes, and Tyler Duenow’s lighting contributed much in the way of atmosphere to the production.
Not being Catholic myself, I don’t really have as personal a connection with this story as I would imagine a lot of local audience members would, considering the large Catholic population in St. Louis. There are some points that seem to jab more at Christianity in general, but the Catholic Church is the primary target. There’s a lot to think about here, especially in terms of authoritarianism in religious organizations, and its effects on those who experience it. This kind of sharp, biting satire is in keeping with SDT’s “alternative” holiday tradition, and it’s certainly provided much about which to think and discuss.
Stephen Henley, Sarajane Clark, Rachel Bailey, Eileen Engel, Sean Seifert
Photo by John Lamb
Stray Dog Theatre
