Reviews

• Julie

  Aug 22, 2023

  What a very clever, very entertaining production. Cleverly written, funny in places. Brilliantly acted out. Tom Hollander was superb in his role. The supporting actors were very strong too. It was exactly what you go to the theatre to see.

• Rose

  Aug 17, 2023

  Brilliant - I now have some understanding how Putin came to be President of Russia. Very informative and great acting.

• Penny

  Aug 17, 2023

  I really enjoyed this play and thought the acting was really good. Tom Hollander did very well, having a lot of lines and being on stage throughout. It captured the historical context to the rise of Putin and Will Keen was excellent in the part. My only suggestion is that it would have been better and more convincing if everyone had Russian accents as the English accents didn’t really ring true.

• Marian Graham

  Aug 16, 2023

  Excellent acting ,staging and production The first half is stronger than the first and both needed to be cut shorter

• Gill

  Aug 15, 2023

  Absolutely brilliant

• Norman

  Aug 15, 2023

  A very well directed play sending a disturbing message. Brilliant acting especially Tom Hollander ‘ ‘Putin’

• Rahul Moodgal

  Aug 15, 2023

  What an incredible show. Just grabs your attention and emotions like no other. The actors were utterly brilliant!

• JemR

  Aug 10, 2023

  Patriots charts the rise and fall of Boris Berezovsky, one of the band of objectionable oligarchs who, following the demise of the Soviet Union, enriched themselves beyond imagining at the state’s expense. Tom Hollander, as Berezovsky, certainly earns his corn with a phenomenal amount of dialogue (and monologue) to deliver over the 2h40m that the production lasts (albeit with a welcome interval). The transition from his support of useful idiot Boris Yeltsin to the empowering of Vladimir Putin is contrasted with his mathematical genius as a nine year-old prodigy (which is constantly revisited) and an almost startling naivety about just how uncontrollable this Frankenstein’s monster was to become; Berezovsky having reasoned (wrongly) that a former low-level KGB/FSB apparatchik would prove to be entirely malleable. His miscalculation, coupled with a selective sense of morality and bouts of collective amnesia and avarice in the West, are surely what has brought us to this far from pretty pass. Will Keen, as Putin, develops his character’s fast-growing megalomania with a wonderfully-judged and physically twitchy performance (no wonder he won an Olivier for it); and Luke Thallon, as the “play both ends against the middle” Roman Abramovich, and Josef Davies, as the ultimately tragic Alexander Litvinenko, are also very good value.

• Jill Wilson

  Aug 10, 2023

  Fabulous, thought-provoking, interesting and informative theatre. Tom Hollander is a superstar as Boris Berezovsky , as are Will Keen as Putin and Luke Thallon as Abramovich. Yes it’s a play. But based on facts that are out there. I hope its run is extended or it is performed elsewhere (how about the provinces guys? I do get fed up schlepping up to a London).

• DRM

  Aug 8, 2023

  Brilliant dialogue and superb acting

• Ann

  Aug 8, 2023

  I had been wanting to see this production for over a year and we were totally enthralled as were the rest of the packed audience. We came away much better informed on a complex subject.

• Sheila

  Aug 6, 2023

  Extremely good performances by all. Top marks to he lead actor Tom Hollander. Well written play, staging was well done. One small negative, the we rustle by the cleaner mid-performance .

• Rachel

  Aug 4, 2023

  Top quality theatre

• Lesley

  Jul 27, 2023

  We thoroughly enjoyed Patriots. The story interweaves so many aspects of post-Soviet Russia and the personalities of the winners and losers from those days. Tom Hollander was superb and the supporting cast members were excellent. Highly recommended.

• Mrs Butler

  Jul 23, 2023

  Excellent .. loved it - great actors

• George Wheeler.

  Jul 20, 2023

  This was my first theatre going expierence, and what I saw today was pure Magic. Tom Hollander enthralled me from start to finish and was a pure force pushing us through a fascinating narrative of political intrigue. Tom Hollanders performance will always have a special place in my heart as one which opened my eyes to the joys of the stage, and I will be forever greatful.

• Jim Ford

  Jul 20, 2023

  Fantastic writing. Magnificent acting. A really superb play

• Sue Kitson

  Jul 18, 2023

  Very very good. One of us thought the ending was a little protracted and could have been 15mins shorter.

• Jordan Smith

  Jul 18, 2023

  What a brillant play by Peter Morgan at the Noel Coward Theatre in London. It's one of the most interesting periods in the long history of Russia. Tom Hollander was just superb as Berezovsky, and Will Keen as Putin was just brilliant. Great cast, great story, brilliant acting.

• m scott

  Jul 16, 2023

  Very powerful.

• Mark

  Jul 16, 2023

  Really excellent, Tom Hollander is incredible.

• David F

  Jul 14, 2023

  I enjoyed it, it was gripping and had me at the edge of my seat even though I knew the ending.

• S Clarke

  Jul 14, 2023

  Tom Hollander and Will Keen lead a superb cast. Didn’t want it to end.

• Kay

  Jul 14, 2023

  What a brilliant play! The writing, directing, set, and as for the acting.............well, all the actors were stunning. Tom Hollander was superb! His performance moved me right deep down to by bones. The historical content and portrayal of the state of Russia at the time gives a clear insight into what is probably to come. p.s. loved Putin's body posture!

• C Herbert

  Jul 6, 2023

  I was glued to the action the whole time. Wonderful performances, particularly by Tom Hollinger.

• Candyce Brooks

  Jul 6, 2023

  Absolutely incredible wow, Tom Hollander and Will Keen just knock it out of the park, moving, funny, sad and informative. A thrill ride of 2.5 hours of theatre watching. The set design is fabulous and the whole thing is just absolutely brilliant, so pleased I got to see it and highly recommend

• RebeccaB

  Jul 2, 2023

  Wow - from beginning to end. Tom Hollander was EXCEPTIONAL in every way - what an actor. We were glued to our seats all the way through ( except in the interval!). All the other actors were terrific too, and we will certainly recommend it.

• Ann Rowland

  Jul 1, 2023

  Atmospheric haunting and stimulating! Vibrant gripping characters superbly revealing a truthful account of Putin’s rise to power. I loved the Russian influence of the music and the emotional realism. Thank you Peter Morgan and a wonderful cast for an amazing theatrical experience.

• Cheryl Hayman

  Jun 28, 2023

  What a sensational night of theatre. An extraordinary performance by all , especially Tom Hollander who has such range and depth of acting. Such a great story and very engrossing and thought provoking !

• Anna MacG

  Jun 26, 2023

  Fantastic performances from a talented cast, witty script, clever staging. I left the theatre saddened by the recent history of Russia and how Putin is destroying it (on the very day of the 36 hour coup!), but whistling the haunting tune by another Vladimir (Vysotky).

• betty

  Jun 25, 2023

  Intelligent and interesting play was marred by several actors not projecting their voices and making it impossible to hear. Tom Hollander was wonderful but Will Keen and Luke Thalon were very difficult to understand

• Steve

  Jun 23, 2023

  Would have been the perfect show, if seats were suitable for someone over 6 feet tall.

• Kate

  Jun 18, 2023

  Excellent

• Geoff Lee

  Jun 17, 2023

  I was in the balcony, middle of the back row. I was disappointed that although the stage set up was deep, most of the acting was carried out at the front of the stage pretty much out of my field of vision. Also I found that a large proportion of the delivery by the actor playing Putin (on the night of Friday 16th) was quiet and hard to hear in its entirety. I’m sorry to be making these criticisms as I thought that it was otherwise a great production.

• Andres

  Jun 16, 2023

  Everyone. Absolutely brilliant

• Pam

  Jun 15, 2023

  Loved the play and will definitely go again. Wonderful.

• Tim Widdowson

  Jun 15, 2023

  Evocative, & powerful!

• CStone

  Jun 15, 2023

  Excellent acting, script and production. Exceeded expectations not a dull moment. Enlightening. Fantastic matinee and what energy to do the show twice in one day! Superb reaction from audience.

• Hilal Cakmak

  Jun 15, 2023

  Brilliant performance

• Viktorija

  Jun 10, 2023

  Amazing performance, highly recommend to anyone. 2,5h fly like minutes!

• Nicholas Squire

  Jun 9, 2023

  Brilliant..thrilling..excellently staged..Tom Hollander was mesmeric..Could hear every word (even though my hearing is not good)..one of the best things I’ve seen…

• Dlux

  Jun 9, 2023

  Best play in many years. Tom Hollande is amazing. Fantastic play

• Gwenllian Williams

  Jun 7, 2023

  Patriots has to go down as one of the West End greats. A play that grips you into the complexity and emotion of Putin's engineered rise, and the terrible consequences for those who refuted his shift to dictatorship. The play starts with a challenge - that when we think of Russia we naively think of cold, bleak streets. But the brilliant dialogue throws you into the emotion, good intent, madness, sadness, manipulation and malign intent that is Russian politics. All actors were suberb - Tom Hollander executes every complex layer of Berezovsky; Will Keen makes you gasp as he transforms into the Putin we know even down to the right-legged gait; Luke Thallon leads you to see the innocent-faced manipulator that is Abramovitch; Josef Davies expertly shows the real man behind the face in the hospital bed we know as Litvenenko . Every other actor quite brilliant in their ability to not only bring figures we know to life but to carry the play by taking on multiple parts. The end of patriots will haunt you - and it should do.

• CWC

  Jun 7, 2023

  Theatre at its best. Beautifully written, well acted and directed. A very enjoyable evening.

• Rosemary

  Jun 7, 2023

  Great night out! Fabulous play. Sitting next to a Russian woman who was moved and very touched by it. Confirmed veracity or events. Homesick for Russia, detests Putin.

• Susan

  Jun 5, 2023

  Excellent performance. Well acted. Dynamic and entertaining.

• Lady Wright

  Jun 4, 2023

  A wonderful performance Hollander was magnificent. Enjoyed everything And delicious early dinner at J Sheekey.

• Michael Tappin

  Jun 1, 2023

  A great play showing both the economic and poltical corruption in Russia. None of the characters were likable. Tom Hollander who played Berezovsky was convincinly duplicitous and Will Keen as Putin personified the Russian leaders authoritarian personalty

• S. Wilson

  May 31, 2023

  It’s an incredible show! I don’t know how they deliver with such gravitas every night.