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.
As good as Stuhlbarg and Keen are – and they’re very good, as are Luke Thallon as oligarch-turned-Putin puppet Roman Abramovic and Alex Hurt as Berezovsky’s doomed security man – Patriots never fully conveys the emotional vitality or grand drama – in short, the Shakespearean – in the power plays. As history lesson, Patriots is more than worthy. As drama, well, it’s a history lesson.
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.
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