The Roundabout revival of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt: A Parable held a red carpet company celebration February 29, a week ahead of its official March 7 opening, and the atmosphere was one of triumph and mutual admiration among the cast. 

"I've gotten to see theatre magic happen in front of me," said Zoe Kazan referencing the production's shaky start. Original star Tyne Daly was forced to bow out of the production when she was hospitalized just as first previews began. The show went on with understudy Isabel Keating in the role before new star Amy Ryan joined the cast a week later. "This is why we do theatre. This is why this is like the art form that I love."

Set in an all-boys Catholic school in the Bronx, the drama ensues when the strict Sister Aloysius (played by Ryan) begins to suspect an inappropriate relationship between Father Flynn (played by Liev Schreiber) and a student.  Kazan stars as the young nun who first notices the relationship and Quincy Tyler Bernstine is the boy's mother. 

The play first premiered at the Walter Kerr Theatre March 31, 2005, and ran for over a year. It was nominated for eight Tony Awards, winning four, including Best Play; Best Actress for Cherry Jones; Best Featured Actress for Adriane Lenox, who played the mother of the student; and Best Direction for Doug Hughes. Shanley was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The work received a film adaptation in 2008 starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis—all four received Academy Award nominations for their performances.

"They all bring their whole lives to it," says playwright Shanley of his three Doubt casts. "And that's an act of supreme generosity that actors, especially really good actors, give us. So, I get to go back to the table three times and have a different feast."

See the video above, as playwright and cast chat about this latest iteration of Doubt.

It's a busy season for the playwright: in addition to this Doubt revival, his Danny and the Deep Blue Sea received an Off-Broadway revival at the Lucille Lortel theatre starring Aubrey Plaza and his newest play, Brooklyn Laundry, is currently running at MTC's Off-Broadway venue.

Roundabout Interim Artistic Director Scott Ellis directs Doubt, 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.

See the gallery below of celebrity arrivals from the pre-opening red carpet celebration. Guests included LaChanze, Orfeh, Sophia Anne Caruso, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Nathan Lane, Andrea Martin, Kenny Leon, and many more. 

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Photos: Doubt: A Parable Gala Opening Night

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