‘Agnes’
encompasses religious mysteries
By Monica Levette Clark
On-line Forty-Niner
 The
Catholic Encyclopedia explains stigmata
as the supernatural occurrences of the blood
marks of the Passion of Christ, appearing
on ordinary human beings with deep, painful
suffering and emotion. These occurrences
branded the person a saint. The cause of
these spontaneous marks can not be explained
scientifically to this day, leading many
secular skeptics to believe that they were
not real at all.
It was only through actual recorded stigmata
sightings throughout history that “unbelievers”
who then tried to explain it naturally,
could no longer dispute the phenomenon.
When Hollywood got wind of this religious
phenomenon, playwrights, actors and directors
began working projects to bring the phenomenal
occurrence to the public sphere.
First staged at the Eugene O’Neill Theater
Conference, “Agnes of God,” a play written
by John Pielmeier is now showing at the
International City Theater in the Long Beach
Performing Arts Center. The play went on
to win the Great American Play Contest in
1979.
A 17-month run on Broadway brought the play
national acclaim and it soon became a movie
of the same name, starring Anne Bancroft
and Meg Tilly. Their roles as the psychiatrist
and the young, afflicted nun earned the
two actresses Oscar nominations for best
actress and best supporting actress in 1985.
ICT debuted “Agnes of God” under the direction
of Michael Michetti. The two-act play stars
a three-person cast: Marcia Rodd (Dr. Livingstone),
Mimi Cozzens (Mother Miriam Ruth) and Madison
Dunaway (Agnes).
The play opens to a surreal image of an
angelic soul —Agnes behind a white,
see-through screen, singing songs of praise
to God. Her songs would be a secret passage
to escape the reality of her tragic world.
She sang songs that were her salvation,
and were the only way to block out the crazy
images and voices running through her head.
Those voices revealed the truth about the
innocent, afflicted young woman, who was
neglected and sexually abused by her deranged,
unwed mother along with other secrets.
Through Agnes’ dilemma, Dr. Livingstone,
the chain smoking atheist, was forced to
relive the past that tormented her just
the same. The successful psychiatrist also
came from a dysfunctional family with a
verbally abusive mother, and a deep hatred
for the Catholic Church. That hatred has
dwelled inside since the death of her younger
sister while living in a convent.
The Superior Mother Miriam was also forced
to come to terms with the truth about who
she was — the older sister of Agnes’ troubled
mother, and the scapegoat for the tragedy
that would occur later while Agnes is under
her care.
The play brilliantly connects the lives
of these three women, who all hide facets
of who they really were with dialogue that
was intriguing, emotional and shocking.
The characters are brilliantly brought to
life and made realistic by the abilities
of the three talented actors.
The play ends next Sunday, with shows running
8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m.
Sunday.
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