In Morgan’s play, Boris Berezovsky, played by the exceptional Michael Stuhlbarg, is introduced as a complex and charismatic figure. The play opens with Berezovsky’s voiceover, setting the scene in a liminal space, as he addresses the audience about the Western perception of Russia. The stage is bare, and Berezovsky, a man who played a pivotal role in Vladimir Putin’s rise to power, speaks from a place outside the confines of time and space.
The play then shifts to 1955, where Berezovsky is a young schoolboy gifted in mathematics. A teacher urges his parents to push their son, emphasizing the elite status mathematicians hold in society. Berezovsky’s journey takes a dramatic turn as he becomes an oligarch, amassing wealth by exploiting legal loopholes in the waning years of the Soviet Union.
Berezovsky’s pursuit of power and influence leads him into the world of politics and media, where he acquires the country’s main television channel and bribes officials to further his agenda. Morgan’s play cleverly frames Berezovsky’s greed as a manifestation of national loyalty, highlighting the protagonist’s complex motivations.
The play explores the theme of betrayal in intricate detail, delving into the relationships between Berezovsky, Putin (a chilling Will Keen), and Roman Abramovich (an assured Luke Thallon). Through these characters, Morgan crafts a gripping narrative that exposes the dark underbelly of politics, where power and ego often trump morality.
The play’s first act chronicles Berezovsky’s shrewd maneuverings in Russia, providing historical context for the complex political landscape of the late 90s. The second act takes a more energetic turn, as Berezovsky’s fate takes a Shakespearean turn after Putin consolidates his power. Berezovsky’s campaign against Putin proves futile, and he is eventually forced into exile, abandoned by his former allies.
As the play concludes, the focus remains on the three principal characters, whose physical distance on stage mirrors the growing chasm between them. The play’s ending is both jolting and timely, underscoring the corrosive effects of unchecked ambition and the fragility of loyalty in the face of power struggles among the wealthy and influential.
