the emotionally wounded girl who threatens Sister's life, Mary Catherine Wright as Philomena, the unwed mother, Timothy Landfield as Gary, the polite gay one, and young Mark Stefan as little Thomas.
Half-way into her speech, four of her former students, Gary Sullivan, Diane Symonds, Philomena Rostovich, and Aloysius Benheim, enter dressed as Saint Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and two halves of a camel.
After the pageant, it becomes apparent that the four have strayed from her teaching; Diane has had two abortions (the first one from a rape at age 18), Philomena is an unwed mother, Aloysius is an alcoholic who beats his wife and is thinking about suicide, and Gary is gay.
The play ends with Thomas pointing the gun at Aloysius while explaining the perfections of God, Diane and Gary's dead bodies on the floor, and Sister asleep.
Frank Rich of The New York Times wrote, "only a writer of real talent can write an angry play that remains funny and controlled even in its most savage moments.
[2] Lynn Trenning of Art Savant wrote that "the script is brilliant in its grasp of the ironic inconsistencies between Catholic doctrine and practical reality" while noting in her review of the original off Broadway production by the Off-Tryon Theatre Company that the lead's "too gentle demeanor failed to convince me she was the Sister Mary Ignatius who terrified children into obedience".
In St. Louis, two state senators attempted to pass a law penalizing theatres that did not promise not to present plays people might find offensive, but after much publicity, the bill failed in committee.
[citation needed] Phil Donahue devoted a full episode of his national talk show to the controversy, focused on efforts to close the play in St. Louis.