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Manhattan Theatre Club’s American premiere of The Unbelievers, written by Tony and Olivier Award nominee Nick Payne and directed by Tony Award nominee Knud Adams, officially opens tonight, November 5, 2026, at New York City Center Stage I. Performances began October 13. What do the critics think of the American premiere? Read the reviews below!
The production stars Lauren Ambrose as Miriam Wright, Jaspal Binning as PC Jay Shah/Anil Singh, Brittany Bradford as PC Angela Fisher/Mia Olsson, Jack DiFalco as Benjamin, Marjan Neshat as DC Elizabeth Hawkins/Lorraine, Tom Riley as David Wright, Nina Ross as Nancy Khoury, Hadi Tabbal as Rev. Karl Khoury, and Elizabeth Yeoman as Margaret Wright. All nine cast members make their Manhattan Theatre Club debuts with the production.
The Unbelievers follows Miriam and David Wright as they grapple with the unexplained disappearance of their teenage son. As years pass without answers, their blended family struggles to move forward, navigating grief, uncertainty, and the challenges of everyday life. The play explores faith, loss, and what it means to continue believing when faced with the unimaginable.
Charles Isherwood, The Wall Street Journal: The play’s almost clinical approach to the investigation and its impact on the family has an admirable forensic authenticity, but Miriam’s anguish is left so little explored that her plight never becomes particularly affecting or illuminating.
Christian Lewis, New York Theatre Guide: 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.
David Finkle, New York Stage Review: And director’s wants to bring out all the inflammatory potential. Knud Adams is the director and steers a strong cast throughout. But it’s the Ambrose-Adams team that gives The Unbelievers double A marks.
Rachel Graham, TheaterMania: The Unbelievers is a deeply affecting piece about a woman slowly unwinding and a family desperately trying to keep her, and themselves, together. And with Ambrose as the lead, it’s unmissable.
Thom Geier, Culture Sauce: Director Knud Adams strikes a nice balance between moments of levity and weightier conflict, including a climactic scene where Miriam is confronted by her loved ones about her decision to skip the memorial to chase a dubious lead abroad. It’s a showcase moment, and Ambrose embraces her character’s doggedness, devotion, and delusion with mesmerizing passion. But it also doesn’t quite ring true — especially the muted way that her family responds to this latest outburst. While The Unbelievers proves unconvincing as a domestic drama, it offers a riveting character study of a woman who responds to an unthinkable situation in the only way she knows how, all others be damned.
Adam Feldman, Time Out New York: The always compelling Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) returns to the stage in a new play by Nick Payne (Constellations) that premiered at London’s Royal Court Theatre last year. Ambrose plays the increasingly unhinged mother of a teenage boy who has disappeared; the supporting cast includes Tom Riley and Hadi Tabbal as her two ex-husbands and Nina Ross and Elizabeth Yeoman as her daughters. Knud Adams (English) directs the American premiere for Manhattan Theatre Club.
Average Rating: 66.7%
