Patriots Tickets

What happens when influential businessmen make political decisions? Tom Hollander plays Boris Berezovsky in Peter Morgan’s Russian drama of the ages, so book Patriots tickets on TodayTix.

Rupert Goold directs a blistering insight into 1990s Russian politics. The all-star cast lift complicated events into a comprehensive look at a nation’s new era; Will Keen won the Olivier for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of President Vladimir Putin.

Hollander delivers a confident turn as oligarch turned exile Berezovsky, with London Theatre raving about his “gleeful, wired and relentless [and] monstrously entertaining characterisation [to the businessman] bringing real pathos out of his eventual lonely exile.”

In 1991, the dissolution of the Soviet Union meant Russia became a newly independent country. Influential people in business plug the political gap in a nation crying out for change. Boris Berezovsky took advantage of the country privatising the state: he owned the television network Channel One, and parts of the national airline Aeroflot. He later funded Putin’s political campaign — a surefire way to protect his status. So when the new millennium turns, why does Berezovsky criticise Putin and become public enemy number one?

Discover how today’s patriot can fast become tomorrow’s traitor.

Lies and secrets come to the fore in Patriots. As you watch the play, you’ll discover how the president’s inner circle shifted to best reflect the leading interests at the time, rather than the people. After Berezovsky left Russia, his life was still littered with political intrigue. He was found dead in a locked bathroom in his Berkshire home in 2013.

Patriots in London is the latest in a trend of Russian political plays. Lucy Prebble’s A Very Expensive Poison followed neutralised ex-KGB member Alexander Litvinenko who died of acute radiation syndrome. Patriots opened at the Almeida Theatre in summer 2022, and now transfers to the Noel Coward Theatre.

What to Watch For:

• Tom Hollander plays Boris Berezovsky. The Night Manager and Rev actor regularly leads West End shows. He previously played Henry Carr in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties to Olivier and Tony-nominated acclaim.
• Patriots is the latest Almeida Theatre play to transfer to the West End: A Streetcar Named Desire and Mary Stuart both headed into central London.
• Patriots playwright Peter Morgan is no stranger to political plays. He penned Frost/Nixon, and Netflix’s The Crown.
• The dissolution of the Soviet Union took over three years. The Soviet Union officially disbanded on 26 Dec. 1991.