The timing of the opening of Stephen Sachs “Fatherland” at New York City Center Stage II could not be more auspicious. Based on the true story of the 18-year-old high school senior from the Wylie part of Dallas (the conflicted but committed Patrick Keleher) who turned his father (the fiery and grieving Ron Bottitta) over to the FBI because of his militant role in the January 6, 2020 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 General Election results in November 2019 and the conspiracy theories that followed divided the nation in half: that division has never healed as the nation approaches the 2024 General Election.

Stephen Sachs conceived the idea for “Fatherland,” however the play’s script comes from court evidence, public statements, and the official transcript of The United States vs. Guy Wesley Reffitt, the jury trial held before the United States District Court, District of Columbia, from February 28, 2022, to March 8, 2022.

Beginning “inside” the trial courtroom, the narrative weaves in an out of the present and the past as the Son gives his testimony to the U.S. Attorney assigned to the case (a focused and determined Anna Khaja) and is cross examined by the Father’s Defense Attorney (Larry Poindexter.) The scene changes from Texas to Washinton, D.C. and from the courtroom to the steps of the Capitol are seamless and supported by the scenic design by Joel David, the lighting design by Alison Brummer, and the sound design by Stewart Blackwood.

It is difficult to understand how a father who claims to love his son and has “given him the best” could become so immersed in the Texas Three Percenters counterculture of conspiracy that he gets to the point of threatening to kill his son. The Father lost his job as an oil worker and the subsequent anxiety and depression made him the ideal candidate for the conspiracy rabbit hole that followed the attack on the Capitol. The attempts by his son and mother to bring him back to center were overshadowed by his overwhelming belief that the Congress had failed him and betrayed his trust in all things politic.

Although the Father is ultimately found guilty of “Transporting a Firearm in Furtherance of a Civil Disobedience, Obstruction of an Official Proceeding, Entering or Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Firearm, Obstructing Officers During a Civil Disorder, and Obstruction of Justice, Hindering Communication Through Force or Threat of Physical Force,” the audience is still required to judge for itself the difference between right and wrong and between lucidity and madness. The moral ambiguity that is the underbelly of the script is the cornerstone of this production.

Ron Bottitta (Father) and Anna Khaja (U.S. Attorney) deliver performances graced with honesty and authenticity. The scenes between Bottitta and Son (Patrick Keleher) are also compelling. Larry Poindexter’s (Defense Attorney) performance is serviceable but not up to par with the remaining cast. It is remarkable that at no time do these performances seem based on written and spoken evidence: they reverberate with the energy typically found in a new script written by a playwright simply using those pieces of evidence. Stephen Sachs is to be commended for arranging the evidence into a compelling and relevant drama and for his sensitive and fast-paced direction that successfully keeps the action of the narrative moving forward.

It is difficult to understand how the nation has become so bitterly divided with no clear evidence of pending unification based on forgiveness and reconciliation. “Fatherland” succeeds in showing how some of the puzzle pieces fit into the larger scheme of chaos. The title challenges the audience to grapple with important concepts of loyalty to self, loyalty to family and nation-state, loyalty to the Constitution of the United States, and challenges the audience to grapple with the meaning and future of a culture’s sacred ethos.