Miraculous

★★★★☆

"a gripping exploration of faith, doubt and human connection"

When a youth pastor preoccupied with mercy and
a teenager hungry for justice are thrust into the
same room, will their fellowship end in communion
or collision?

Review by Richard Lambert

Miraculous is an engaging and compelling production with a pace that feels just right, maintaining tension and interest throughout. While its premise—a church-run summer camp led by pastors—may be more immediately familiar to American audiences, the themes and relationships translate effectively for UK viewers.

At its heart are two characters positioned on opposite sides of the faith divide: a sceptical, slightly rebellious young man and an older pastor. The pastor deliberately selects the young man for a series of daily one-to-one mentoring sessions, relishing the challenge, while the young man would much rather have been paired with someone closer to his own age.

What follows is a fascinating battle of ideas and personalities. The young man repeatedly attempts to unsettle the pastor, asking increasingly personal questions about pre-marital sex, his wedding night, his lack of sexual experience before marriage, his wife’s cancer, and his views on same-sex attraction. The exchanges are gripping, thought-provoking and often deeply uncomfortable, creating a compelling dramatic tension.

The production is further enhanced by an impressive set design, which makes excellent use of the performance space. The sound design, however, occasionally feels over-emphatic. The recurring use of waves, rain and thunderstorms is effective to a point, but at times becomes a little overpowering. That said, dramatic weather has long been a familiar theatrical device in stories exploring faith and spirituality.

Where the production falls slightly short is in its closing scene. The final revelation and subsequent meeting feel overly melodramatic and somewhat implausible, making the ending less convincing than the nuanced character work that precedes it.

Nevertheless, these reservations do little to diminish the overall impact of the production. Miraculous is exceptionally well acted, confidently directed and consistently absorbing, delivering a gripping exploration of faith, doubt and human connection.

CAST
JOSH | Luke Stiles
PAUL | Diego Zozaya