Agnes of God

Agnes of God is a play about a novice nun who gives birth to a child who then dies at the hands of persons unknown. Agnes has very little contact with the outside world in general and men in particular. She claims the child is the product of a virgin conception! 

It's an excellent concept for a drama, one ripe for an exploration of how the established church would respond to such a claim: it would certainly put them on the horns of a dilemma! However, instead John Pielmeier's script takes an entirely different direction to examine the dysfunctional lives, loves and beliefs of the three protagonists: Agnes, the novice nun, a psychologist appointed by the court to determine whether Agnes was mad or just plain bad, and mother superior, protector or abuser of Agnes depending upon your point of view. 

The playwright gave the psychologist character the name Doctor Livingstone and then very early in the piece had mother superior deliver the deathless line “Doctor Livingstone I presume”. Unfortunately this was the script’s nadir and the writing never fully recovered from it. 

The company gave us a split set of the doctor’s office and Agnes’ bedroom where the fateful deeds took place. The room at the convent was particularly well realised with a stained glass window and a simple but impressive wooden cross. However, time and place were an issue: when and where were we? A typewriter (remember them?) was visible upstage which set us back to a time pre-DNA testing, but the set and properties could have been used to more clearly define the period. Regarding place, although this is an American play the cast dispensed with the American accents, apparently setting the piece in the UK; but then surely references such as to the “district attorney” should have been changed? 

For the cast this play presented many challenges in bringing to life to what was essentially a very static and wordy play. Furthermore a great range of emotions were required, particularly when Agnes was required under hypnosis to relive the birth, and later the death, of her child. The play called for a cast of various ages - a young Agnes, the significantly older doctor, and a mother superior who is older still - yet all three cast members seemed of a similar age which added considerably to the skill required to bring their characters and relationships with each other to life. The cast of Doctor Livingstone (Anna Sanderson), Mother Superior (Kate Ward) and our eponymous heroine/villain (Lindsay Foster) must be congratulated on great teamwork and for delivering such a slick and polished performance. 

Zodiac Theatre should also be commended for their ambition and drive in bringing their production of Agnes of God to the Lace Market Theatre. 

Zodiac Theatre presented Agnes of God at The Lace Market Theatre on Thursday 7 August 2014.