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.
There’s an expectation that in Morgan’s latest merging of historic fact and fiction that the writer of “The Crown” on TV, “The Audience” on stage and “The Queen” on film will once again provide an intimate and revealing look behind another well-guarded curtain, this time one that is made of iron. But on this foreign turf Morgan’s footing is less sure, he’s less able to speak with the native authenticity that he brought to his other, far richer works. These charmless characters are broadly outlined, psychologically shallow and simplistically played.
“Patriots” ultimately feels like a play for a different time and a different place. It is opening at the crowded end of a busy Broadway season, and if New York theatergoers are going to be offered a play about Russia that involves Vladimir Putin, why a British play about a Russian oligarch whose heyday was in the 1990s, with most of the depicted events having occurred decades ago? We don’t get enough of a background or perspective on what much of the world (including Americans) view as an urgent current moment — Putin’s continuing war on Ukraine. If it’s true, as the play indicates, that Putin began his reign making overtures to the West — we’re told he even wanted Russia to become a member nation of NATO — then what happened? We’re left in the dark. We can guess; try to read between the lines, do some research afterwards on our own. Or if we want a more complete picture from Peter Morgan, we can wait to see if he turns the story into another Netflix series.
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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