One of the things I like most about theatre is how subjective it is, how we all take different things from it and the conversations that can spark. For me, theatre should always entertain, but I enjoy being moved and challenged, too. For me, great theatre does all of those things, and every so often, pieces come into my life that have all three qualities in absolute spades…

That’s why, even though it’s been a couple of months since I was at the Almeida seeing Peter Morgan’s Patriots, I wanted to reflect on the experience; especially given that it will be transferring to the West End for a limited time next year!

It’s 1991, and the Soviet Union has fallen. As Russia looks toward its future, the dynamics of power are changing, loyalties are tested, and as the oligarchs take control, money talks. These are dangerous games however, as today’s patriot can just as easily become tomorrow’s target. Playing the most precarious game of all is mathematician and businessman Boris Berezovsky, who manoeuvres himself into position as “kingmaker” behind Vladimir Putin…

This production marked my third at the Almeida, starting with The Treatment in 2017, then seeing a favourite of mine, Tobias Menzies lead The Hunt two years later. I love the energy, the immediacy and intensity that seeing theatre in this intimate space gives me: I find everything about the whole experience is heightened, and so to becomes my investment in the action. That quality really served Patriots well for me, given that it’s a play that presents historical events, figures and politics, the vast majority of which and whom I was too young to be familiar with, at least in the earlier years the play depicts. It’s certainly a strange experience watching a play like this having the angle of current world events, but I felt even the potential for that tension and conflict gave the play another layer of depth.

Make no mistake, Patriots is an incredibly dense, wordy play with a lot going on, but the strength of it lies in Morgan’s ability to blend that with bursts of warmth and wit, sometimes in moments and from characters you least expect it from. Doing so meant the piece became about far more than politics and history: it explores ambition, love, the potential for corruption and need for validation, how we define success and essentially what motivates us. The direction from Rupert Goold holds that balance in tone beautifully, shifting from Berezovsky’s childhood, the earliest encounters with Putin and Roman Abramovich and beyond. This keeps the tension fizzing away, even in the play’s quieter moments, and I was often on the edge of my seat!

I adore plays where the design almost takes on a life of its own and becomes a character in itself; and becomes just as important as the words being spoken or action unfolding. I got that sense wholeheartedly here: Miriam Buether’s versatile thrust stage becomes both a bar and the catwalk where all the political heavyweights strut, accented beautifully by Jack Knowle’s lighting design – a gorgeous mix of colours and intensities. There’s one scene in particular that will stay with me for a long time on that score: no dialogue, sound, just Putin in front of a mirror adjusting his suit, trying out different poses as he readies himself for a speech. Adam Cork’s sound design and composition is also deeply atmospheric, clever in its scarcity.

In my second opportunity I have had to see him work live (the first being Travesties at the Menier back in 2016), Tom Hollander once again astonished me as Boris Berezovsky. I marvel at Tom’s ability to tackle these wordy, weighty plays with such ease, and it was really interesting watching him play out all these different facets of the character. As written, Berezovsky is equal parts charm and manipulation, sometimes prone to petulant fits of rage, and as such comes across as rather unlikeable, yet Tom is careful to imbue him with flashes of warmth and tenderness that make that dynamic such fun to watch play out.

By its very definition, acting is the art of becoming a character. I have had the immense joy of seeing so many brilliant performances over the years, but a very special few have felt utterly transformative, and I have to single out Will Keen as Putin here. Given recent events, one might say that Putin’s headspace is absolutely not a space where we like spending time, but Will absolutely manages to avoid any semblance of caricature. The performance is so restrained, understated and at times absolutely chilling in the sense of his body language being so expressive, and the atmosphere he is able to create is truly electric. I loved watching Will and Tom in particular play off each other, especially as their relationship changes so drastically throughout the piece.

Elsewhere, Luke Thallon is all boyish charm and eagerness as Abramovich, and Jamael Westman brings great warmth and likeability to Alexander Litvinenko, arguably the only presence in the play not seduced by the allure of power, but determined to stand up for his ideas, and he seems to be the only one who understand how dangerous these plays for power can be, which makes him the balance to Berezovsky’s ambition and fits of impatience.

I particularly enjoyed how the play ends with the same speech as it began, bleak as the final tableau might be, and the reflections on the state of the world it might stir up. Despite that, ultimately, Patriots is a sharp, timely and utterly compelling meditation on history and what makes people tick, and I look forward to revisiting it. Hollander, Keen & Thallon are set to reprise their roles, with further casting to be announced.

Patriots transfers to the Noel Coward Theatre from 26 May – 9 Aug 2023