'DOUBT' IS FEARLESS, BRACING THEATER.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic

THE MOST INTRIGUING dramatic arguments are those that admit they have no easy solutions and don't pretend to offer any. I give you ``Doubt,'' the aptly titled, quite relevant play by John Patrick Shanley that confronts the topic of sex abuse within the Catholic Church.

The play is set in 1964 in a world still reeling from the assassination of President Kennedy. But the arguments - and questions - over the proper conduct of priests are timely to say the least.

``Doubt'' is having its West Coast premiere just as a heralded Manhattan Theatre Club production is transferring to Broadway. So score one, yet again, for artistic director Sheldon Epps and the Pasadena Playhouse for getting a hot new play to L.A. audiences with such astonishing quickness.

And, for that matter, for luring Linda Hunt back to the stage. Cherry Jones - whose work in this play I have not seen - may be taking on the same role back east, and Jones tends to imprint any part she originates. But in Pasadena, Hunt more than fills Sister Aloysius' formidable habit.

An Irish priest at a coed Irish and Italian Bronx school delivers a sermon on the subject of spiritual uncertainty. What do you do, queries the charismatic Father Flynn, when you encounter doubt on any subject? What if God doesn't step in to demonstrably settle the matter? Ninety riveting minutes later, after a battle has been waged and a victory claimed, the ``winner'' breaks down and confesses to having feelings of uncertainty. And Shanley, the playwright, has taken his discussion in a perfect circle. Structurally, ``Doubt'' could have no truer ending.

And, in Pasadena, it could have no smarter casting. Jonathan Cake, the actor playing Father Flynn, both towers over pint-size Linda Hunt and triples Hunt's charisma quotient. But magnetism and charm won't necessarily carry the day in this play.

Unquestionably, Sister Aloysius is a piece of work, and her pit-bullish determination to bring down Father Flynn seems based on a self-righteous hunch more than on any real evidence. Nonetheless, Claudia Weill's direction is remarkable for its balance. Cake's work is astonishing, and Hunt, who may still be feeling her way through the role, pulls off a rather extraordinary feat as well.

The eagle-eyed nun, who purports to know every pupil at St. Nicholas' Church School, is particularly watchful of Donald Muller, an altar boy and the school's first black student. A suspicion that Father Flynn may have had some involvement with Donald drinking altar wine sets the nun on a vendetta against Flynn even though she is not the priest's superior and the aged monsignor is in Flynn's camp and Flynn denies any wrongdoing. Hunt (who won an Oscar for playing a boy in ``The Year of Living Dangerously'') probably tops the ruler at around 5 feet, but the nun's absolute conviction in her beliefs and values give her easily another foot in stature. The arresting thing about this performance - on opening weekend, at least - was a certain tentativeness on the actress' part that suggested that Sister Aloysius was discovering these convictions as she was working her way through the problem. Bold choice.

Through Cake's fine work, we watch Flynn - a figure of advancement and progress - essentially collapse. It's tragic, but it almost has to happen, and Cake, who is as convincing in outrage as he is in on the pulpit, is marvelous.

``Some things aren't black and white,'' says Father Flynn during one of his confrontations with Sister Aloysius. ``And some things are,'' returns the nun, who may live to eat those words.

The play is called ``Doubt.'' Undoubtedly, it's a winner.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

DOUBT - Three and one half stars

Where: Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through April 10.

Tickets: $42 to $53. Call [phone].

In a nutshell: Priest vs. nun in a high-stakes battle over alleged molestation. Brilliantly acted and psychologically exciting.

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Linda Hunt stars as a tenacious nun who accuses a priest of molestation in ``Doubt'' at the Pasadena Playhouse.