I had initially thought the storyline was reasonably realistic. On second thoughts there has to be an element of creative licence going on – which isn’t problematic, except to say there are certain details of the storyline that feel, on reflection, more than a little far-fetched. Winston Smith (Jason Thorpe) – which, as most readers will be aware, is also the name of the protagonist in the George Orwell novel Nineteen Eighty-Four – is being sued, on what turns out to be extremely tenuous terms. One of his life coaching clients, Matthew, an off-stage character, was taken by his own hand, and the family has instructed their legal team to sue for negligence. The very final outcome of the legal process extends beyond the timeline of the play’s narrative, which I thought was fair enough, given that either side was likely to appeal. But can a life coach, by definition – that is, not a medical professional – be negligent? And what did Winston do or say to Matthew that, beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law, led him to take his life?
Nancy Farino’s script has a lot going for it. While the story wasn’t, strictly speaking, necessarily told entirely in forward chronological order, because there were two parallel stories going on, I was grateful for the lack of flashback scenes and substantial time-hopping between decades. In the first story, Claire (Shona Babeyemi), a solicitor, is helping Winston to build a defence against the lawsuit. In the second, Winston’s twenty-six-year-old daughter Joy (also Farino) is persuaded to go on a cross-country road trip as an apparent solution – from a life coach, no less – to various personal issues that Joy would really rather not discuss with her father. Put under pressure by a frustrated Winston clutching at straws, she eventually vents her spleen – Winston was, she asserts, amongst other things, an absent father for at least part of her formative years.
It’s never a bad thing when a show feels considerably shorter than its running time (in this case, one hour and forty minutes without an interval). The road trip was a literal and metaphorical journey for Winston and Joy – an ironic name, Winston observed, given how irritable and disagreeable she was – with Winston throwing caution to the wind and ultimately paying the price for his lack of planning. The performance space is utilised very well in this production, which goes for thrust staging (or platform staging, or even catwalk staging, if that helps you to picture it) with the majority of the audience sat on either side of a longitudinal stage. The sound and lighting come into their own during the show’s critical incident. As for the family dynamics, these were fascinating to observe, with neither father nor daughter ever becoming so dislikeable that one loses interest in what they have to say.
The Mike + The Mechanics song ‘The Living Years’ – not featured in this production, although a good number of other chart songs do – begins with the lyrics, “Every generation blames the one before / And all of their frustrations come beating on your door”. Such was the case here, and it wasn’t exactly difficult to see both points of view. The sometimes deeply emotional Joy contrasted brilliantly with the stoic Claire, though both had to try to cut through Winston’s very active mind and equally active mouth, which if anything, made for good theatre. A highly observational play that glides through legal technicalities and family conflicts with equal effectiveness.
Review by Chris Omaweng
“Best case scenario we all go with the flow and have and amazing time and eat pies and feel connected to the place from whence we came and maybe meet some people with the same nose as us”
Only good things happen to Winston Smith. Or so he keeps telling himself. Winston loves his job as a life coach, and is even hoping to write a book to share his wisdom more widely. There’s just the small matter of a negligence lawsuit to deal with first…
His daughter Joy is tired. Of holding things together. Of pretending to be okay. And of every relationship in her life demanding more than she has to give.
The solution? A spontaneous road trip to County Mayo, in search of their long-lost Irish roots. On a converted school bus with mood lighting, questionable plumbing, and no clear plan. Winston takes Joy on a search for their past by way of hiding from the here and now.
Shona Babayemi – Claire
Nancy Farino – Joy
Jason Thorpe – Winston
Nancy Farino – Writer
Tessa Walker – Director
Debbie Duru – Designer
Christopher Nairne – Lighting Designer
Khalil Madovi – Sound Designer and Composer
Rebecca Wield – Movement
Josh Collins – Production Manager
FATHERLAND
Hampstead Theatre
31 October to 29 November 2025
