Fatherland at Gate Theatre

Fatherland at Gate Theatre

17 February, 2011
by: Naima Khan

An intelligent script and some impressively creepy writing from Tom Holloway in Fatherland at Gate Theatre.

In a minimal room, with only an unloved Christmas tree for decoration, Angela and her dad set up some dominoes. With a not so hot tagline like “a father who loved too deeply” we already know what the play is about and predict we'll be uncomfortable for the next hour.

Tom Holloway's script duly conforms to our expectations but doesn't push us too far. The dad in Fatherland is weird in the same way as someone who incessantly doles out compliments to strangers on the tube. He's not sinister exactly, but the kind of person you watch thinking, “good god man! Don't you know how creepy you're being?” Whether this is disappointing or not is down to the audience. Do theatregoers really want to be pushed to the limits of awkwardness? Do we want to see the ugliest of relationships unfold? I, for one, do not.

Angela's father remains unnamed – like most, he's just “dad” – but the two characters proceed to have some incredibly delicate conversations in a desperate attempt to find some normality in their relationship. Both go from smiles to blank faces and back again as Jonathan McGuinness and Angela Terence approach each scene acutely aware of its brittleness. What makes things more intense is their overuse of the words 'father' and 'daughter', an example of Holloway's uncomplicated, astutely perturbing writing.

It's an intelligent script that splits the play evenly between a man's attempt to have an ordinary relationship with his daughter, and his daughter's frustration at the lack of acknowledgement of what happens. It also weaves in her own doubts about whether she really wants to talk about their reality. Precious little actually occurs during the hour-long play. A pizza is delivered and after Angela disappoints her dad, there's the matter of discipline to overcome. But we learn all we need to know about these two characters through their absorbing, disturbing monologues.

Caroline Steinbeis' direction, coupled with Simon Slater's sound design, keeps the pace impressively, depicting the eerie stillness of their home and each character's fierce frustration. But the poorly thought-out staging lets the production down. If you see Fatherland, sit near the front. Sitting within five rows from the back in this small theatre will have you craning your neck to see what happens any time an actor sits down. And a lot happens when they're sitting down.

Go to sample Holloway's writing and Terence and McGuiness' acting. Sit near the stage and enjoy an hour of fragile, tense dialogue.

Fatherland runs at Gate Theatre until 12th March. 

Click here for more Fringe Theatre in London
Click here for Theatre in London
Click here for Things to do in London

Naima Khan