{photo: A man of the cloth (John Behlmann) should be above reproach, but a woman’s intuition (Sister Aloysius, played by Jayne Taini) should not be ignored in Doubt, which opened Friday on the Main Stage.}

The reviews are starting to come in and people are raving about our just-opened production of Doubt. The Tribune and the Oregonian both posted their reviews online over the weekend.

Here’s the highlights:

“Center Stage and director Rose Riordan get excellent performances from a four-person cast, most notably Jayne Taini as Sister Aloysius and John Behlmann as Father Flynn.

Ultimately, Shanley is the star. One of America’s finest playwrights, he never fails to give an audience plenty to think about, even when he leaves it wanting more.”

- Eric Bartels, Portland Tribune

“As Shanley said on ‘The Newshour with Jim Lehrer,’ ‘the last act of the play takes place after the play is over, when people walk out that door and decide or don’t decide what the play’s about and who did what.’

The ‘last act,’ then, that played out Friday night at the Gerding Theater was vigorously entertaining and thought-provoking, much like the performance that preceded it. Which is to say, the opening night of Portland Center Stage’s production, directed by Rose Riordan with a keen attention to both detail and dramatic shape, inspired plenty of lively post-show chatter.”

- Marty Hughley, The Oregonian

Ben Waterhouse at the Willamette Week also posted an Opening Night online preview, which delves into some interesting connections between the play and Portland’s own parochial school history. (Did you know that Portland’s Sisters of the Holy Names took on the KKK in a landmark Supreme Court case? Yep.

Did you see the show this weekend? Share your own reactions to the play on our Doubt page.

Still planning a trip? Bring a group and your tickets just got a whole lot cheaper.

See you at the theater!

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