“Fatherland” examines a father and son’s commitments to their country and each other

What happens to a family and a Texas community when a teen-aged son alerts the authorities to his father’s actions at the Jan. 6, 2020 Capitol insurrection? This real-life story is the basis for the new play Fatherland, conceived and directed by Stephen Sachs. Sachs’ script is taken from transcripts of the father’s trial as well as court evidence and public statements. The result combines courtroom drama, legal maneuvering, and flashbacks to detail one man’s descent into white nationalistic paranoia and his son’s attempts to curtail the worst excesses of his father’s seeming madness.

The action of the play is simple. A Federal attorney questions the son, eliciting his family’s story and his perceptions of his father’s changes in behavior. The defense attorney casts doubts on the son’s motivations for betraying his father. We do not hear the father’s side of the story — only his actions as recorded or related by his son, and his statement to the court before the verdict is read.

The cast, under Sachs’ direction, delivers outstanding performances. Anna Khaja as the government attorney is a calming presence as she leads the still-distraught son through his testimony. Larry Poindexter’s defense attorney plays the closest thing to a villain in the piece as he attempts to shake the son’s testimony — and question his motives for betraying his father. 

Ron Bottitta is mesmerizing as he depicts the father’s journey from oil worker to unexpected unemployment to “true believer” in right-wing conspiracy theories and rewritten histories on the internet. He moves deeper into involvement with white supremacist groups, seeing himself as a true descendant of Revolutionary War patriots. He finally takes a leading role in organizing groups to rally in Washington, D.C., then marching on the Capitol.

Patrick Kelleher as the son delivers a tour de force performance as a loving son driven to despair as he sees his father succumbing to the siren song of stolen elections and the need for governmental overthrow. His concern is matched by his desire to protect his mother and sisters from his father’s more extreme actions.

Kelleher’s performance spans the emotional gamut, and his transitions from one state of mind to another move with wrenchingly plausible ease. His decision to contact the FBI about his father does not come easily, and you see fully the conflicting emotions leading up to his final decision.

The stark set, designed by Joel Daavid and lit by Alison Brummer, easily transforms from a courtroom to the family home to the Capitol steps. The realistic sound design of Stewart Blackwood adds depth to the action on stage, as do the character-defining costumes of Danyele Thomas.

The one problem I had with Fatherland is that, unlike many plays, there is no room for personal growth for the two main characters — just personal destruction. The only resolution in the play is the trial’s verdict and the son’s rejection by the family he tried to protect. Since the words come from official documents and public-record statements, I don’t know if or how this problem can be handled, but it left me feeling unsettled at play’s end.

Fatherland is a gripping slice of current history, well directed and extremely well acted. Credit goes to the Fountain Theatre for mounting this production, and to the Manhattan Theater Club for providing the space for this work to be seen in New York. This is a play for anyone who is interested in an intensely intimate political drama about the aftermath of Jan. 6 as seen through its effects on one family.

Fatherland is presented by the Fountain Theatre at the New York City Center’s Stage II, 131 West 55th St., New York, through Nov. 23, 2024. For more information, or to get tickets, go to fatherlandplay.com or call 212-581-1212.