Review: MOTHER RUSSIA at Profile Theatre

Set in 1992 against the backdrop of the Soviet Union's collapse, Lauren Yee's brand new play, MOTHER RUSSIA, explores what happens when the systems we've always known suddenly vanish, and whether getting what we thought we wanted actually makes us happy. This timely play is now in its second-ever production at Profile Theatre, and I expect we’ll see it popping up in seasons across the country.

The play centers on Evgeny (Bets Swadis) and Dmitri (Orion Bradshaw), two twenty-five-year-olds whose career aspirations – cushy government work and KGB glory, respectively – have been rendered obsolete. With no other work available, they find themselves surveilling a former subversive-pop-star-turned-school-teacher (Ashley Song) instead. All the while, the character of Mother Russia, brilliantly personified by Diane Kondrat, watches her children struggle to understand the implications of their hard-won independence.

Evgeny and Dmitri make for an endearing duo. Swadis’s Evgeny is sweet and sensitive – what he wants more than anything is to be seen by his father, a former VIP who now sits at home counting his money. Bradshaw’s Orion has a tough exterior that he believes masks his vulnerability. Their sense of displacement and lack of purpose is not just about cheap laughs – these are men genuinely grappling with an identity crisis that extends far beyond career disappointment.

At the same time, this is a laugh-out-loud comedy. Yee’s signature combination of wit and insight is on full display. For example, a scene where Evgeny attempts to buy toothpaste is a striking moment where the overwhelming nature of choice becomes almost existentially terrifying. It's both hilarious and heartbreaking, encapsulating the play's central tension between freedom and the comfort of constraint.

The play is also highly relevant right now. Its exploration of capitalism's promises versus its realities feels particularly sharp in our current moment, when questions about economic systems and the true meaning of freedom remain hotly debated.

Overall, MOTHER RUSSIA is a smart, compassionate piece of theatre that will make you laugh, think, and maybe reconsider what freedom actually means.