PATRIOTS Opening Night Critics’ Reviews

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 4/21/24 at 10:46pm

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 Stuhlbargstars 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 “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.
 

The production opens at the Barrymore Theatre on Monday, April 22, 2024. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/22/24 at 5:55pm

Green in NYT is generally positive, but no Critic's Pick

‘Patriots’ Review: What Happened to the Man Who Made Putin?

Michael Stuhlbarg and Will Keen shine as a kingmaker and his creature. But in Peter Morgan’s cheesy-fun play, it’s not always clear which is which.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/22/theater/patriots-review-putin-peter-morgan.html

"I wouldn’t generally take “Patriots” as a reliable source of information. (The math is mostly mumbo-jumbo.) Like Morgan’s “The Crown,” it’s a bit cheesy, making its sometimes baggy drama (it could reasonably have been half or twice as long) from a highly tendentious selection of facts and a perhaps overliberal imagination.

In so doing, it provides, also like “The Crown,” the opportunity for some very enjoyable performances, not just from Stuhlbarg and Keen but also from Luke Thallon as an implausibly beamish Abramovich. Just don’t look for interesting women here; they are mostly afterthoughts, arm candy and Bechdel test flunk-outs."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/22/24 at 5:56pm

Deadline:

"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."

https://deadline.com/feature/broadway-show-reviews-spring-2024-1235866317/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/22/24 at 5:57pm

NY Stage Review

PATRIOTS: RUSSIAN HISTORY RENDERED WITH SHAKESPEAREAN THEATRICALITY

BY FRANK SCHECK

APRIL 22, 2024

★★★★☆ Michael Stuhlbarg and Will Keen star in Peter Morgan's drama about the war of wills between a Russian oligarch and Vladimir Putin.

https://nystagereview.com/2024/04/22/patriots-russian-history-rendered-with-shakespearean-theatricality/

 

PATRIOTS: A STARTLING AUTOCRAT-OLIGARCH EXPOSÉ

By David Finkle

★★★★☆ Peter Morgan's explosive drama, with Rupert Goold directing the astonishing Michael Stuhlbarg

https://nystagereview.com/2024/04/22/patriots-a-startling-autocrat-oligarch-expose/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/22/24 at 5:59pm

The Wrap:

‘Patriots’ Broadway Review: After Serving Up the Royals, Peter Morgan Takes on the Russians

“The Crown” creator delivers a first-rate comedy about Putin and the oligarchs — the second act of his play is another story

https://www.thewrap.com/patriots-broadway-review-peter-morgan-putin-play/

"Ultimately, the first-rate comedy of the first act turns into the second-rate melodrama of the second act."

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/22/24 at 7:11pm

DTLI Consensus: In Mother Russia lies the basis for mediocre late-20th-century historical drama.

7 mixed (including the NYT), 1 positive. 

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/patriots/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 10:43pm

The Creator of The Crown Has Turned Putin’s Rise Into a Shakespearean Drama

With the timely Patriots, Peter Morgan is still playing fast and loose with the facts.

https://slate.com/culture/2024/04/patriots-true-story-broadway-putin-play-netflix-crown-review.html

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/27/24 at 8:15pm

A movable set piece crashed moving downstage before Yeltsin’s appearance. Stuhlbarg handled it masterfully before the PSM called a halt. The resumed act one rewound to the very top of the scene before. The furniture was struck. My third recent experience with automation failure stopping a show. A Strange Loop stalled for over 20 minutes early on; Girl From the North Country in the final 15 minutes, necessitating a longer reprise. Today, it somewhat damaged the momentum, though the full company met the challenge with agility.

[Dan6]

Posted: 4/27/24 at 10:12pm

During tonight’s performance, a phone went off in the front rows during a particularly intense scene in which Berezovsky (Michael Stuhlbarg) threatens Abramovich (Luke Thallon). The offending idiot made no attempt to turn the phone off, and it continued for its full cycle of rings. Then, about 20 seconds after it mercifully went silent, the same phone rang again. Stuhlbarg, fully maintaining character, turned and pointed to the location and said menacingly, “Turn it off. Now.” The audience applauded at the end of the scene. It was so perfectly done that the couple behind me, discussing it at intermission, actually thought it was part of the play. Kudos to a brilliant actor for his brilliant handling. 

[The Other One]

Posted: 4/28/24 at 8:41am

Auggie27 said: "A movable set piece crashed moving downstage before Yeltsin’s appearance. Stuhlbarg handled it masterfully before the PSM called a halt. The resumed act one rewound to the very top of the scene before. The furniture was struck. My third recent experience with automation failure stopping a show. A Strange Loop stalled for over 20 minutes early on; Girl From the North Country in the final 15 minutes, necessitating a longer reprise. Today, it somewhat damaged the momentum, though the full company met the challenge with agility."

I witnessed this as well.  "We'll get to this in a moment," I believe Stuhlbarg said in an ad lib worthy of applause. It sounded like a light fell on the desk just offstage, pushing it unexpectedly through the upstage door.   I wondered if they were going to be able to resume and was grateful that they were. 

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 4/28/24 at 8:56am

Dan6 said: "During tonight’s performance, a phone went off in the front rows during a particularly intense scene in whichBerezovsky (Michael Stuhlbarg) threatensAbramovich (Luke Thallon). The offending idiot made no attempt to turn the phone off, and it continued for its full cycle of rings. Then, about 20 seconds after it mercifully went silent, the same phone rang again. Stuhlbarg, fullymaintaining character, turned and pointed to the location and said menacingly, “Turn it off. Now.” The audience applauded at the end of the scene. It was so perfectly done that the couple behind me, discussing it at intermission, actually thought it was part of the play. Kudos to a brilliant actor for hisbrilliant handling."

Yikes - how hard is it to turn off the cellphone.Glad they handled it brilliantly.

 

This reminds me of the old woman when I saw Patriots. She blocked the boxoffice line while checking her phone.The security guards FRIENDLY asked her to PLEASE move and not block the line, she stood there and ignored them. The only this she did (after being repeatedly asked to not block the line) was say with in an i-don't-care tone  "I hear you" , while continuing checking her phone

 

what a privileged trash. 

Updated On: 4/28/24 at 08:56 AM