Inter Alia at the National Theatre
This year has felt like a cultural reckoning, confronting us with the realities of a fractured youth. Parents, educators and policymakers have found themselves anxiously debating the fate of a generation raised online – children who appear adrift, unsure about morality, possibility and identity. These unsettling truths burst into public view with the debut of the show Adolescence, a drama so immediate that it quickly garnered political attention. At the heart of this unease lies a troubling question: what do we do when the lives of our children spiral beyond our grasp?
Suzie Miller’s latest play, Inter Alia, at the National Theatre, engages with these concerns. It follows her critically acclaimed hit, Prima Facie, starring Jodie Comer, from three years prior. Miller now gives us Jessica, a female judge portrayed by Rosamund Pike, who finds herself determined to reshape the male-dominated courtroom into a space of genuine equity. Yet this ambition faces its sternest challenge when an accusation strikes uncomfortably close to home.
Jessica, a sharp, witty presence, is meticulously drawn. Pike captures her character’s depth, a blend of humour, brilliance and empathy. Jessica’s courtroom is a domain fraught with human stakes, where every decision carries devastating consequences, guilty or not. Her insight into the wrenching experiences of witnesses and the heavy toll of sentencing underscores her humanity. Yet beyond judicial robes, Jessica must also navigate the tangled threads of family life – “inter alia”, among other things – striving to meet the incessant demands of her husband, Michel (Jamie Glover), and her teenage son, Harry (Jasper Talbot).
The first half serves comedic chaos, with Pike’s character frantically juggling her many identities: judge, mother, spouse, friend. Interrupting hearings to help locate her son’s missing shirt, moving seamlessly from courtroom to cocktail dress, from family dinners to karaoke bars, Jessica is an emblem of contemporary womanhood stretched to its limits. She continually senses that she’s falling short – like the momentary panic when she loses sight of her child at the park, or her difficulty feeling excited during sex with her husband.
About halfway through, the play takes a dark turn when Harry faces an accusation that Jessica knows from work but never expected at home. Here Miller delves into the troubling intersection of morality, parental responsibility and adolescent sexuality corrupted by online culture, pornography and peer pressure. Jessica’s devastating realisation – that her feminist ideals haven’t shielded her son from adopting toxic masculine behaviours – feels profoundly tragic. Her world collapses, leaving her questioning everything she stands for, both as a mother and as a judge.
Pike’s Jessica, continuously centre-stage, shoulders the immense burden of a nearly unbroken monologue, playing multiple characters and narrating the entire drama. Her performance is brave and often riveting, yet struggles from a lack of reciprocal energy. Moments intended as crowd-pleasers (like a karaoke scene) sometimes falter. Jessica’s family dynamics also tend toward flatness, particularly with Harry, whose stereotypically adolescent irritability lacks nuance or emotional depth. He feels frustratingly simplistic, an empty vessel representing a broader generational emptiness that may indeed be intentional, but ultimately provides Pike with insufficient support.
Like Adolescence, Miller’s Inter Alia will resonate with parents haunted by the dread of familial catastrophe. If the play sparks broader discussions about the challenges of guiding a troubled generation toward respect and justice, its mission is commendable. Yet, ultimately, the evening feels somewhat like an extended, earnest lecture – one Pike valiantly delivers but from which she visibly tires. As tension mounts, the dialogue circles repetitively, losing its bite precisely when it ought to feel sharpest. Pike’s energy, heroic though it is, inevitably ebbs, leaving the audience reflecting deeply, yet with a lingering sense of exhaustion…
Constance Ayrton
Photos: Manuel Harlan
Inter Alia is at the National Theatre from 24th July until 13th September 2025. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.
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