Tony winner Liev Schreiber stars in the Broadway revival of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt: A Parable, which is currently running at the Todd Haimes Theatre through April 21. Schreiber stopped by Late Night with Seth Meyers April 11 to share some of his experience in the play, including the time where a migraine caused him to forget his lines on stage and the show's understudy, Chris McGarry, had to finish the show. Check out the videos above and below to hear Schreiber's story.
The Roundabout Theatre Company revival opened March 7. Set in an all-boys Catholic school in the Bronx, the drama ensues when the strict Sister Aloysius (played by Amy Ryan) begins to suspect an inappropriate relationship between Father Flynn (Liev Schreiber) and a student. The cast also featues Zoe Kazan as the young nun who first notices the relationship and Quincy Tyler Bernstine as the boy's mother.
Rounding out the company are understudies Christiana Clark, Olivia Cygan, Isabel Keating, and Chris McGarry. Tony winner Tyne Daly was previously set to play the role of Sister Aloysius, but had to withdraw from the production after a recent hospitalization, as previously reported.
While Schreiber expressed great admiration for Shanley's work, he said he wasn't immediately sold by the role: "After seven years of Ray Donovan, where I played a character who was abused by a Catholic priest, and playing Marty Baron in Spotlight, the guy who led the investigation of the Boston diocese, I wasn't really eager to do another [similar story]," Schreiber says. "Going to this mass in my small town in Montauk was really, it was kind of moving to me...I went to a lot of masses."
Schreiber also emphasized how Doubt still resonates two decades after its premiere. "What does this play say 20 years later?" Schreiber questions. "We were in the thick of the Catholic Church scandal, but I think there's elements in this play now of how deeply polarized we are. And, you know, [we've] sort of lost our capacity for nuance and complexity in things. And in the rush to win, people have lost the notion of progress."
READ: On the Red Carpet: The Roundabout Revival of Doubt Came Together Like 'Theatre Magic'
Roundabout Interim Artistic Director Scott Ellis directs the play, leading a creative team that includes scenic designer David Rockwell, lighting designer Kenneth Posner, costume designer Linda Cho, sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman, hair and wig designer Charles G. LaPointe, and vocal coach Kate Wilson. Charles Means serves as the production stage manager. Casting is by Jim Carnahan and Carrie Gardner.
Amy Ryan and Quincy Tyler Bernstine in Doubt: A Parable
Liev Schreiber and Amy Ryan in Doubt: A Parable
Amy Ryan, Zoe Kazan, and Liev Schreiber in Doubt: A Parable
Amy Ryan and Zoe Kazan in Doubt: A Parable
Liev Schreiber and Zoe Kazan in Doubt: A Parable
