In 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the new Russia belongs to its oligarchs—and no one is more powerful than billionaire Boris Berezovsky. When an eventual successor to President Boris Yeltsin is needed, Berezovsky turns to the little-known deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin. But soon Putin's ruthless rise threatens Berezovsky's reign, setting off a riveting, near-Shakespearean confrontation between the two powerful, fatally flawed men.
Tony® and Emmy® Award nominee Michael Stuhlbarg stars as Berezovsky and Will Keen reprises his Olivier Award-winning turn as Putin in PATRIOTS, a shockingly timely history play from Peter Morgan, creator of Netflix's "The Crown."
Don't miss this strictly limited engagement of Olivier Award winner Rupert Goold's kinetic, exhilarating production, which reveals to us all how Russia's post-Soviet machinations continue to shape our world to this day.
Rupert Goold directs with a coach’s jingoism, an approach which moves things along quickly, sometimes loudly, and makes the most of Miriam Buether’s set: a palatial office cutting across a long, posh bar and flanked by raised balconies pegged to an imposing brick wall. Though Jack Knowles’ lighting and Adam Cork’s music and sound design similarly turn up the energy, they cannot create a character out of Berezovsky, of whom we learn very little. Lacking detail and focus, Patriots is a character study without much of either.
But then “Patriots” is no better a source for moral news than the other kind. Perhaps no play is. Here, though, Putin is given way more than his due: glamorized as a shy, upstanding mayor corrupted by Berezovsky and his plutocratic ilk. Whereas Berezovsky, who did after all try to bring Putin down, is left in the gutter, with a certain amount of dramaturgical glee. Goold stages his downfall like a rock opera, with strobes, bursts of loud noise (these are often assassination attempts) and weird dancers. If not moral clarity, then, “Patriots” at least offers a lesson: There are moments when tyrants are still tyros, when Putins are nobodies — and evil can be redirected or sidelined. Wait too long and you could lose your chance.
General Rush
Price: $40
Where: Ethel Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street)
When: When the box office opens on the day of the performance.
Limit: Two per customer.
Information: Subject to daily availability.
Digital Lottery:
Price: $30
Where: PatriotsBroadway.com
When: 12:00 AM one day before the performance.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Winners will be drawn the same day at 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM.
2023 | West End |
West End |
2024 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play | Will Keen |
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | Michael Stuhlbarg |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | Michael Stuhlbarg |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Rupert Goold |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | Patriots |
2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play | Michael Stuhlbarg |
2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Peter Morgan |
2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Video/Projections (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Ash J. Woodward |
2024 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Award | Will Keen |
2024 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Michael Stuhlbarg |
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