Peter Morgan’s Patriots at the Ethel Barrymore, is Russian to its core and offers an insightful and chilling depiction of the current state of that country. In plays like Frost/Nixon and The Audience, and the Netflix series “The Crown,” Morgan has skillfully laid out complex political and social currents in America and Great Britain. He does the same for Russia here, focusing on the fractious relationship between oligarch Boris Berezovsky (a brilliantly vibrant Michael Stuhlbarg) and president Vladimir Putin (a thrillingly icy Will Keen, repeating his London performance).
Directed with supple smoothness by Rupert Goold, the story follows the trajectory of Putin’s rise and Berezovsky’s downfall. On Miriam Buether’s atmospheric set resembling one of Berezovsky’s nightclubs, the action begins with the oligarch rising to power as the old Soviet Union breaks up, allowing capitalism to flourish. Now unfettered by Communist restrictions, Berezovsky can make outrageously lucrative transactions including acquiring the country’s leading TV network, meaning he can influence public opinion. When President Boris Yeltsin steps down in 1999, Berezovsky picks little-known St. Petersburg deputy mayor and former cab driver Vladimir Putin as his successor, thinking Putin will be easy to manipulate. If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past 25 years, you’ll know things didn’t work out as Berezovsky planned.
Morgan chronicles the rivalry between the two main characters with depth of detail, razor-sharp dialogue and growing tension. He takes us through a crash course of international events, including the submarine disaster of 2000 and Putin’s withdrawal from Western alliances, augmented by Ash J. Woodward’s dynamic video design. Berezovsky is eventually driven into exile in London as Putin strengthens his stranglehold on the country. Both claim to be the true patriot, working for the best outcome for Russia. Stuhlbarg and Keen are powerful and intense as the titans vying for dominance like a pair of bears battling over territory. Luke Thallon is equally effective as Roman Abramovich, an entrepreneur who switches sides from the oligarch to the president.
Patriots is that rare item on Broadway, an intelligent political drama reflecting the current perilous state of our world and how we got here.
