THE HANGOVER REPORT – In the historically-based PATRIOTS, Peter Morgan caustically pits Boris Berezovsky against Vladimir Putin for the soul of Russia

Will Keen and Michael Stuhlbarg in Peter Morgan’s “Patriots” at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (photo by Matthew Murphy).

Earlier this week, the Almeida Theatre production of Peter Morgan’s new play Patriots opened on the Main Stem at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. I had seen the play two years ago in London, where it was one of the highlights of my theater-going trip. Although I miss the immersiveness afforded by the Almeida and Tom Hollander’s sensational central performance, the Broadway edition of the play — which tells the story of the evolving relationship between Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky and Vladimir Putin, eventually pitting the two against each other for the very soul of Russia — still crackles with combustible excitement.

Morgan has made a career out of putting a Shakespearean spin on the lives of celebrity-status political figures (in addition to penning plays such as Frost/Nixon and The Audience, he is also responsible for the film The Queen and the television series The Crown), and this latest work finds him at the top of his game. Indeed, Patriots is one of his most satisfying, overtly gripping creations, one in which the playwright eschews the modesty and politeness of his previous efforts in favor of unabashedly sensationalist theatrical storytelling. Overall, the taut production is a thrilling combination of Morgan’s caustic tragic-comic writing and Rupert Goold’s directorial panache.

Here in New York, actor Michael Stuhlbarg steps into the role of Berezovsky — previously played across the pond by the boyish Hollander (who was also so wonderful in Roundabout’s revival of Tom Stoppard’s Travesties a few seasons ago) — bringing with him his own kind of Falstaffian flair, attacking the role with vaudevillian glee. It’s an eye-catching performance that drives the production with its unrelenting, nervous energy. As Putin, Will Keen reprises his extraordinary performance from London, giving a chilling performance that bristles with unpredictability and pent-up rage. The striking contrast between these two characterizations makes for captivating theater.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

PATRIOTS
Broadway, Play
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through June 23

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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