This is a play about the Christian religion, authority and the interpretation of the Bible. It takes place in a Christian camp in the Oregon Mountains where Josh, a young student has been sent by his parents, and the retreat is overseen by a zealous young pastor, Paul, who has daily mentoring sessions with Josh. In these sessions Josh, at best a lukewarm Christian, tests his pastor’s faith with challenges about what he reads in the Bible and Christian interpretations of sex, forgiveness and miracles.
This is not a play with deep theological debate. Josh’s questions are fairly simplistic; the sort everyone asks from time to time, and Paul’s responses are less satisfactory and thoughtful than one would expect from a well-educated cleric placed in a position of authority over young people. The author, Luke Stiles, gets quite a lot of humour out of the encounters, largely at the expense of the pastor, and the play maintains energy and engagement up to the final tragic ending. But at the end of the 75 minutes, I was left asking what I had actually learnt from either side of the eternal debates about the interpretation of Christianity through the Bible.
The acting was of a very high order. The author Luke Stiles took the role of Josh and played him with every bit of the arrogance and insecurity of the young. Diego Zozaya had a more difficult job of playing the pastor given the weakness of the text with which he had to deal.
The setting was effective in the excellent new King’s Head Theatre auditorium in the bowels of the Islington Square development. The audience were on three sides, a backdrop depicting the interior of a wooden hut with a prominent wooden cross. The director and stage manager should, however, have been more careful to ensure that the cast could not be seen exiting stage right.
Sound and lighting effects, designed by Pierre Flasse and Amy Fisher, were very good in building a brooding atmosphere and impending catastrophe.
Miraculous is playing at the Kings Head Theatre in Islington until 20th June. Tickets are available from www.kingsheadtheatre.com
Be aware that the play contains adult themes of a sexual nature.
Reviewer: Paul Ackroyd
Reviewed: 17th June 2026
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