The Unbelievers at Royal Court Theatre Review
Written by Bronagh for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
We meet Miriam (Nicola Walker) as she is dealing with her son Oscar’s disappearance, just before his 16th birthday. Everything seemed okay at home, including dealing with his parents’ divorce and a few issues with braces-related bullying. No one can think of any reason why Oscar would choose to disappear.
The Unbelievers covers dealing with loss, the question of when is a temporary loss a permanent loss as well as bringing in some paranormal elements. Time is not linear throughout, bouncing between timeframes with some scenes lapping over with one another. This can be confusing in parts, and I found myself trying to remember at what point of the story we were at and how long Oscar had been missing for. We experience both hope and bitter disappointment, seeing a combination of both positive and false leads in the police investigation. Whilst her daughters Margaret and Nancy (Ella Lily Hyland and Alby Baldwin, respectively) and her ex husband (Paul Higgins) are seen to move on slowly but surely, Miriam is determined that Oscar will return. This is where Walker really does excel and put on a powerhouse of a performance, as an devastated mother coming to terms with the disappearance and not wanting to accept that Oscar may not be coming back.
When its good, it truly is good. Some moments are gripping, others unfortunately falling flat. The dinner party scene is arguably the most entertaining of the show, however, comes so close to the end of the show. Tensions may build and build and build at times but then doesn’t quite land, with humour attempts and touches of spiritualism shoehorned in. As much as I appreciate that missing persons cases simply sometimes are not resolved, I did feel rather short changed not ever finding out what did happen to Oscar.
I was a fan of the set, designed by Bunny Christie. The stage was split in half, the front a normal living room and the back a non descript waiting room, no indications of what people sitting there were waiting for. The cast split their time between the two sections, the audience able to see them at all times. Time in the waiting room simply ticks on, life going on despite the challenges in the home setting.
The Unbelievers ran for one hour and fifty minutes, starting ten minutes late. No interval. In order for a show of this length to not have an interval, it really does need to keep up momentum and keep the viewer hooked. This simply wasn’t the case, lacking depth for the most part – we don’t find out a whole lot. This could go one of two ways within adding an interval; cut the show down by at least half an hour or add more depth and answers for the audience.
There is no denying The Unbelievers is an okay watch, with a wonderfully talented cast and a decent premise. More emotion, more depth and more momentum would undoubtedly make this less of a frustrating watch. I just know this could be a fantastic watch tipping over into the four star, at least, category with a few tweaks.
The Unbelievers plays at Royal Court Theatre until 29th November 2025
Content warnings: deals with grief and self harm.
★★★
