Rev Stan's Theatre Blog

Fatherland at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs is the story of an enthusiastic, fun-seeking dad Winston (Jason Thorpe) and a reluctant daughter Joy (Nancy Farino), on a road trip to Ireland to discover family roots.

Winston has converted an old school bus for the journey and is seemingly motivated by a desire to take Joy out of herself, as she appears to be in a bit of a rut.

But the more we get to know Winston, the less altruistic his motives look and the more feckless he seems.

The bus scenes alternate with a parallel narrative thread in which Winston is having conversations with his increasingly frustrated solicitor Claire (Shona Babayemi).

Through these, we discover he is some sort of life coach and is being sued.

Winston has the potential to tip over into irritating character territory – he can certainly be frustrating. But there are a couple of elements to the play that pull him back from this edge.

One is Nancy Farino’s witty and funny script. The conversations between father and daughter are particularly sharp, generating bubbles of laughter.

And then there are the more poignant moments where we see glimpses of connection with Joy.

Director Tessa Walker injects energy and movement into what could be a sequence of static conversations while maintaining the feeling of confinement that being on the bus inevitably brings.

There are clunkier moments with characters recalling or reliving dreams, which have a pace and tone that don’t quite sit with the rest of the narrative..

It also feels like there is more to explore in Winston’s work and his relationship to it, and Joy’s background, with a few unanswered questions.

But overall, this is a solid and promising debut play by Nancy Farin, it’s humorous and has a certain charm, and I’m giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half.

Fatherland, Hampstead Theatre Downstairs

Written by Nancy Farino

Directed by Tessa Walker

Cast: Shona Babayemi, Nancy Farino and Jason Thorpe

Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes without an interval.

Booking until 29 November for more information and to book, visit the Hampstead Theatre website

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