Review: Agnes of God at Chester Little Theatre

Words: Angela Ferguson | Photos: Stuart Evans and Paul Crofts

I made my way to Chester Little Theatre on a day when Chester was ravaged by Storm Babet, like most of the country. The roads had calmed down a bit here in Chester but it was a cold and wet evening and it was testament to the draw of Chester’s Against The Grain theatre company that there was still practically a full house for this sold out show, despite the challenging conditions we’d been experiencing.

The team at Against The Grain don’t pull any punches with their choice of plays and this one was no exception, with the hard hitting and gripping subject choice taking us into the heart of a convent – and a scandal chillingly based on a real life story.

Written in 1979, this compelling psychological whodunnit written by John Pielmeier looks at the fall out to the shocking discovery of a newborn baby found dead in a waste paper basket. The baby is born to novice nun, Agnes, who speaks of supernatural visions and denies any knowledge of the pregnancy and birth.

A court appointed psychiatrist, Dr Martha Livingstone (Sally Anglesea) is tasked with trying to establish what on earth has gone on in this sleepy place, home to a community of nuns. It’s the age old story of science challenging religious beliefs as Dr Livingstone battles to get to the truth, with Mother Superior Miriam Ruth (Marian Newman) keen to protect Agnes at all costs.

The staging is simple but works beautifully, enabling the audience to be drawn into the essence of the story, with some clever use of poignant lighting to draw our attention to the lone empty waste paper basket at the front of the stage.

The religious music sung beautifully by Agnes (Laura Smith) also adds a haunting edge to this gripping drama, along with a simple but imposing cross projected onto the back of the stage. This towers over the three women as a battle of wills ensues.

“You are a surgeon. I don’t want that mind cut open,” pleads Sister Miriam when Dr Livingstone finds walls are being built up to deter her investigation into the mysterious and ‘gifted’ Agnes.

The slick direction takes us backwards and forwards in time as Dr Livingstone recounts her epic efforts to get to the truth, with some surprisingly dark back stories coming to the fore.

All three actors turned out compelling performances, with some harrowing moments which drew us into the story and its clever twists and turns.

Reflecting on the staging of the play, co-director Stuart Evans said: “This piece could easily be staged with an elaborate set with a doctors office and convent cell but we decided from the outset to strip the production right back which, we feel, will allow the audience to be completely drawn in by the characters, their story and journey.”

Against The Grain have really pulled it out the bag with their range of thought-provoking productions, with their harrowing hostage-based drama Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me also gripping the audience when it played the Live Rooms in Chester this summer.

It’s fascinating to follow their progress and to see how they readily transfer their skills between direction and performing on stage, with Agnes of God directors Stuart Evans and Mark Newman having turned out powerful performances in their last production alongside Simon Phillips.

It was a night to remember at Chester Little Theatre and a truly thought-provoking and gripping production that will always stay with me. I, for one, cannot wait to see what’s next for Against The Grain.

We Are Chester gives Agnes of God from Against The Grain a ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ rating.