'The Unbelievers' Off-Broadway review — haunting family drama will make you question your own beliefs

Read our review of The Unbelievers off Broadway, a new drama written by Nick Payne and directed by Knud Adams for Manhattan Theatre Club.

Summary

• The Unbelievers follows a family over the course of seven years after their son's sudden disappearance at 15 years old
• Lauren Ambrose gives a standout performance in an emotionally complex role
• The show is recommended for fans of messy family dramas about grief, like Next to Normal and Rabbit Hole
• The play also features original music from Arcade Fire's Will Butler

Playwright Nick Payne throws us right in, beginning The Unbelievers with Miriam (Lauren Ambrose) and David Wright (Tom Riley), a separated married couple, talking about a potential “sighting” — someone who claims to have seen their son Oscar, who went missing a year before, when he was 15. When the scene changes, with no blackout or clear demarcation, it’s suddenly the day after Oscar disappeared, and the police take down information from Miriam, David, and Oscar’s siblings, Margaret (Elizabeth Yeoman) and Nancy (Nina Ross). Then, the conversation shifts and it’s seven years later, and David wants to plan a religious memorial service for Oscar (who can legally be declared deceased), which upsets Miriam.

This fluid and jarring style gets at the core of the piece, which chronicles the haunting disorientation Miriam experiences in the wake of Oscar’s disappearance. Time moves in and out, and she gets flustered, frustrated, and frantic. Or, in the play’s British parlance, she “goes mental,” occasionally lashing out in violent ways. Through it all, Payne’s adept writing, which often blurs genre and places tight comedy against deep pathos, and Knud Adams’s skillful, confident direction place us inside Miriam’s mind, and the result is a stunning piece of theatre likely to stick in your own.

As the play progresses, Miriam gets increasingly disheveled, her frizzy hair falling out of its bun, as she begins to lose her grip. While she remains ever-hopeful and vigilant, the rest of the family fall into various camps of unbelieving. The play centers Miriam such that we are presented with scenes through her perspective — so that late in the play, when Margaret offers a very different but equally loving approach to Oscar, it is shattering to Miriam and the audience. Margaret presents a perspective that none of us had previously considered, which makes you reassess everything you’ve seen, and changes how you think about Miriam as a mother.

Across the board, the ensemble gives consummate performances. Each of the family members' roles and relationships feel deeply lived in. Some of the additional cast members, like Hadi Tabbal (as Miriam’s first husband turned vicar) and Marjan Neshat (in a dual role as a police detective and David’s new girlfriend) are excellent. But the real showstopper is Ambrose, who embraces this juicy, difficult role and masterfully captures Miriam’s emotional swings. She beautifully crafts a character that is familiar, unlikable, and scary, yet empathetic and relatable.

The real genius of the piece is the way it always keeps things shifting — you never quite know where you stand, what timeline we are in, how to feel, or whom to align with. The clever writing, expert direction, and outstanding performances work in tandem to make you question your own beliefs.

The Unbelievers summary

Out of the blue, Miriam and David’s 15 year-old son Oscar goes missing. The Unbelievers explores the impact this heart-wrenching event has on the family, following them across seven years post-disappearance. The various members, including Oscar’s two siblings, Margaret and Nancy, process differently, and everyone diverges on whether Oscar is alive or can be found. Their conflicting beliefs tear a hole in the family, leading to new cycles of grief and pain.

What to expect at The Unbelievers

The stage at Manhattan Theatre Club’s New York City Center Stage I has been reconfigured: The extreme sides of the audience have been blocked off, and instead a diagonal slice of the stage has been filled with wooden church pews, on which a portion of the audience sits. (Warning: These pews are far from comfortable, especially for a 2-hour play with no intermission.)

Other than this shifting of the space, Paul Steinberg's set is minimal, consisting of a sparse living room with a dining table, an upright piano, a large window frame, and a cavernous doorframe leading into a black abyss. In addition to the pews, there are several small scenic choices that gesture toward Christian church architecture, like a stained-glass window and a single tall taper candle that Ambrose lights at the top of the show, which act as a symbol of her ongoing hope Oscar is alive. The play features original songs by Will Butler of Arcade Fire.

The Unbelievers deals with heavy themes around a missing child, loss, grief, self-harm, substance abuse, and mental health.

What audiences are saying about The Unbelievers

Early audience responses to The Unbelievers have been mixed: Some theatregoers found the show emotionally moving and praised the performances, Ambrose in particular. Others, though, struggled with the play's length, characters, and uncomfortable onstage seating. As of writing, it had a 62% audience approval rating on Show-Score, a review aggregator.

• “Outstanding performances, dramatic with the right amount of humor. And Lauren Ambrose!” - Mezzanine user Adrian A
• “A really good play. Could use a bit of editing. It’s just a smidge too long but it’s honest and well acted and brings ideas up that one normally wouldn’t consider.” - Show-Score user JoeyFranko
• “An emotional roller coaster ride. Fabulous actors. Long. Bare set.” -Show-Score user elsje
• “Very slow moving, long two hours, could be 75-90 minutes with the same story. Didn’t feel any connection between the characters.” - Show-Score user Kristin2342

Read more audience reviews of The Unbelievers on Show-Score.

Who should see The Unbelievers

• Fans of Lauren Ambrose, whether from Six Feet Under or My Fair Lady, will love seeing her take on a new, complex role.
• Anyone familiar with complicated and sometimes dysfunctional family dynamics might enjoy getting to see the messy Wright family work out their issues.
• Fans of other works of art about families processing grief, like Next to Normal or Rabbit Hole, will love this play’s unique take on the genre
• Fans of Arcade Fire or Will Butler’s work on Stereophonic will enjoy getting to hear new songs from him.

Learn more about The Unbelievers off Broadway

Far from your typical family drama about grief, The Unbelievers is a knotty, elusive, thought-provoking play that keeps you on your toes, utilizes constantly shifting timelines and tones to great effect, and leaves audiences with a lot to unpack, and admire, once they leave the theatre.

Learn more and get The Unbelievers tickets on New York Theatre Guide. The Unbelievers is at New York City Center through November 29.

Photo credit: The Unbelievers off Broadway. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)