Miriam’s 15-year-old son is nowhere to be found. How does a mother cope? This life-altering event buries in the cracks of their family dynamic and blows it up. Years on, with his case remaining an unsolved mystery, Miriam firmly believes he is still alive. Nick Payne returns to writing for the stage, debuting a play that’s not quite as groundbreaking as Constellations was, but that brings all the excitement of a well-executed and nimbly staged time fracture. The Unbelievers proposes three crucial moments: we see the chaos of the immediate aftermath, the lingering despair of the first anniversary of Oscar’s disappearance, and, finally, the restless hope Miriam still holds seven years later. But this isn’t a show about a missing kid.
The Royal Court Theatre and Playful Productions have announced the full cast for The Unbelievers, a new play about family, memory and hope by Nick Payne.
It was only February when we headed to Stratford-upon-Avon to review Hamlet, so it comes as quite the surprise to head through green fields speckled with sheep for the same play a mere four months later. Elsinore might have been a massive moving ship back then, but it’s receiving an astonishing overhaul this time.
Production photos have been released for the upcoming world premiere of Hamlet Hail to the Thief which is now playing at Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, Manchesteruntil 18 May 2025 before transferring to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avonfrom 4 June - 28 June 2025.
