Jerusalem (play)
Encyclopedia
Jerusalem is a play by Jez Butterworth
that opened at the downstairs theatre of the Royal Court Theatre
in London
in 2009. The production starred Mark Rylance
as Johnny 'Rooster' Byron and Mackenzie Crook
as Ginger. After receiving rave reviews its run was extended. In January 2010 it transferred to the Apollo Theatre
.
) Johnny "Rooster" Byron, local waster and modern day Pied Piper, is a wanted man. The council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his son, Marky wants his dad to take him to the fair, Troy Whitworth wants to give him a serious kicking and a motley crew of mates want his ample supply of drugs and alcohol. The play makes frequent allusions to Blake's eponymous poem
from which its title is derived.
Johnny 'Rooster' Byron – opinionated eccentric ex-daredevil and teller of fantastically improbable stories, he has a young son whom he rarely sees, and lives in a caravan in the local woods holding parties where he gets drunk and supplies drugs, some of them to under-age kids
Ginger – pathetic underdog of the group, he is older than the others who hang around with Johnny, never having grown out of the lifestyle. He aspires to be a DJ, but is in fact an unemployed plasterer
the Professor – vague and whimsical, the elderly professor spouts philosophical nothings and unwittingly takes LSD
Davey - young teenage abbatoir worker who is best friends with Lee, and visits Rooster regularly for free drugs and alcohol. He can't
stand the idea of leaving Wiltshire
Troy Whitworth – local thug, the same age as Ginger; his stepdaughter, who it is strongly implied he sexually abuses, goes missing in the play; he badly beats Johnny up at the end of the play
Lee – young teenager, he enters the play having been hidden in the sofa asleep after about 15 minutes; he plans to emigrate to Australia
the next day, despite having little money to take with him
Phaedra – Troy's stepdaughter, she is seen at the beginning of both Act One and Two singing the hymn Jerusalem dressed in fairy wings, and her disappearance is referred to; it is only at the end of Act Two that it is revealed that she is actually hiding in Johnny's caravan
Pea and Tanya – two local girls who emerge from underneath Johnny's caravan, having fallen asleep drunk there
Dawn – Johnny's ex-girlfriend and mother to his child, though she disapproves of his lifestyle; having spent some time with him she relapses and kisses him, but there is no reconciliation
Marky – Johnny's six-year-old son
Wesley – the local pub landlord, he is involved in the festivities for St George's Day and has been roped in to doing the Morris Dancing
Linda Fawcett and Luke Parsons – the council officials
in London. The staging involved live chickens, a live tortoise
and goldfish
and several real trees surrounding an onstage caravan
.
It was directed by Ian Rickson
and starred Mark Rylance
as Johnny, Mackenzie Crook
as Ginger, Alan David
as the Professor, Tom Brooke as Lee, Danny Kirrane as Davey, Gerard Horan
as Wesley and Barry Sloane
as Troy Whiworth, Aimee-Ffion Edwards
as Phaedra.
It received very positive reviews all round;
at the 796-seat Apollo Theatre
for a limited 12 week season from 28 January 2010, closing on 24 April 2010. This resulted in its first negative review. Tim Walker in the Sunday Telegraph wrote of the character of Rooster: "With his chest out and his head back, lined up in a vertical line with his bottom, the actor does indeed resemble a rooster. The problem with the term 'local personality', however, is that it is all too often a polite euphemism for a crushing bore, and three hours in Rooster's company does prove to be something of an endurance test." Rylance went on to win the Olivier Award for Best Actor
for his performance.
on 21 April 2011 at the Music Box Theatre
, following previews from 2 April 2011. It was scheduled to play a limited season until 24 July 2011, and then got a four week extension (to 21 August). Mark Rylance reprises the role of Rooster, with Mackenzie Crook and most of the original Royal Court cast also transferring. The full cast for the production was announced on February 17, 2011, with John Gallagher, Jr.
, Max Baker, Geraldine Hughes and Richard Short
joining the show. The play received a Tony Award
nomination as "best play", but lost to War Horse
(although Rylance won the Best Actor award).
in London, playing at the Apollo
from 8 October 2011 until 14 January 2012. Again, reviews were raving, with The Daily Telegraph
-critic Charles Spencer
giving it five stars (out of five), describing Mark Rylance as "an actor of indisputable greatness, giving the most thrilling performance it has ever been my privilege to witness."
Jez Butterworth
Jeremy “Jez” Butterworth is an English dramatist and film director.-Life and career:Butterworth was born in London, England, and attended Verulam Comprehensive School, St Albans and St John's College, Cambridge...
that opened at the downstairs theatre of the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 2009. The production starred Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
as Johnny 'Rooster' Byron and Mackenzie Crook
Mackenzie Crook
Paul Mackenzie Crook is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Gareth Keenan in The Office and Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.-Life and career:...
as Ginger. After receiving rave reviews its run was extended. In January 2010 it transferred to the Apollo Theatre
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
.
Synopsis
On St. George's Day, the morning of the local county fair (deriving its sense of place and community from the annual carnival week at Pewsey, WiltshirePewsey
Pewsey is a large village, often considered a small town, at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire about west of London. It is well connected to London, the West Country and Wales being close to the M4 motorway and the A303. Also, the village is served by Pewsey railway station on the...
) Johnny "Rooster" Byron, local waster and modern day Pied Piper, is a wanted man. The council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his son, Marky wants his dad to take him to the fair, Troy Whitworth wants to give him a serious kicking and a motley crew of mates want his ample supply of drugs and alcohol. The play makes frequent allusions to Blake's eponymous poem
And did those feet in ancient time
"And did those feet in ancient time" is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem, one of a collection of writings known as the Prophetic Books. The date on the title page of 1804 for Milton is probably when the plates were begun, but the poem was printed c. 1808...
from which its title is derived.
Characters
Jerusalem has a cast of around 14; some of the main characters:Johnny 'Rooster' Byron – opinionated eccentric ex-daredevil and teller of fantastically improbable stories, he has a young son whom he rarely sees, and lives in a caravan in the local woods holding parties where he gets drunk and supplies drugs, some of them to under-age kids
Ginger – pathetic underdog of the group, he is older than the others who hang around with Johnny, never having grown out of the lifestyle. He aspires to be a DJ, but is in fact an unemployed plasterer
the Professor – vague and whimsical, the elderly professor spouts philosophical nothings and unwittingly takes LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
Davey - young teenage abbatoir worker who is best friends with Lee, and visits Rooster regularly for free drugs and alcohol. He can't
stand the idea of leaving Wiltshire
Troy Whitworth – local thug, the same age as Ginger; his stepdaughter, who it is strongly implied he sexually abuses, goes missing in the play; he badly beats Johnny up at the end of the play
Lee – young teenager, he enters the play having been hidden in the sofa asleep after about 15 minutes; he plans to emigrate to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
the next day, despite having little money to take with him
Phaedra – Troy's stepdaughter, she is seen at the beginning of both Act One and Two singing the hymn Jerusalem dressed in fairy wings, and her disappearance is referred to; it is only at the end of Act Two that it is revealed that she is actually hiding in Johnny's caravan
Pea and Tanya – two local girls who emerge from underneath Johnny's caravan, having fallen asleep drunk there
Dawn – Johnny's ex-girlfriend and mother to his child, though she disapproves of his lifestyle; having spent some time with him she relapses and kisses him, but there is no reconciliation
Marky – Johnny's six-year-old son
Wesley – the local pub landlord, he is involved in the festivities for St George's Day and has been roped in to doing the Morris Dancing
Linda Fawcett and Luke Parsons – the council officials
2009 Royal Court
The premiere of the play was at the Royal Court TheatreRoyal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
in London. The staging involved live chickens, a live tortoise
Tortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
and goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
and several real trees surrounding an onstage caravan
Travel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
.
It was directed by Ian Rickson
Ian Rickson
Ian Rickson is a British theatre and film director. He was the Artistic Director at the Royal Court Theatre in London from 1998 to 2006, and currently works freelance....
and starred Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
as Johnny, Mackenzie Crook
Mackenzie Crook
Paul Mackenzie Crook is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Gareth Keenan in The Office and Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.-Life and career:...
as Ginger, Alan David
Alan David
Alan David is a Welsh television actor. Living in London, he is married with two sons.David was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. He has had many television credits ranging from Coronation Street in 1973 to Virtual Murder , Honey for Tea and "The Unquiet Dead", an episode of Doctor Who in 2005...
as the Professor, Tom Brooke as Lee, Danny Kirrane as Davey, Gerard Horan
Gerard Horan
Gerard Horan is an English actor. Born in Stockport, Cheshire, Horan has appeared in many of Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare films, most recently as Denis in the 2006 As You Like It. He has worked extensively in theatre, film and television....
as Wesley and Barry Sloane
Barry Sloane
Barry Paul Sloane is an English actor. He trained as a musician and actor before landing his first professional acting role in the film In his Life: The John Lennon Story. He has appeared in numerous TV shows, notably the BAFTA award-winning dramas Pleasureland and The Mark of Cain...
as Troy Whiworth, Aimee-Ffion Edwards
Aimee-Ffion Edwards
Aimee-Ffion Edwards born 1987, is a Welsh actress from Newport, South Wales. She is best known for appearing in the television series Skins as a character called "Sketch", who is introduced at the beginning of series 2 as the stalker of Maxxie Oliver....
as Phaedra.
It received very positive reviews all round;
there are several of the Royal Court's trademark "in your face" shock tactics and an exceptionally high swear word count even by the exacting standards of the address, this rich three-hour play is also tender, touching, and blessed with both a ribald humour and a haunting sense of the mystery of things. —The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
Jerusalem is a bold, ebullient and often hilarious State-of-England or (almost) State-of-Olde-England play...[Johnny] is a shrewd, bold, defiant, charismatic, even mesmeric man born out of his time. Imagine King Arthur reincarnated as a troll and you have something of the quality he brings to the debased pastoral he grittily, comically and finally mournfully inhabits —The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
Jez Butterworth's astonishing new play - an invigorating, yelping, defiant portrait of 21st century shires England —The Daily Mail
2010 West End
Following a successful run at London's 380-seat Royal Court theatre, Jerusalem transferred to London's West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at the 796-seat Apollo Theatre
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
for a limited 12 week season from 28 January 2010, closing on 24 April 2010. This resulted in its first negative review. Tim Walker in the Sunday Telegraph wrote of the character of Rooster: "With his chest out and his head back, lined up in a vertical line with his bottom, the actor does indeed resemble a rooster. The problem with the term 'local personality', however, is that it is all too often a polite euphemism for a crushing bore, and three hours in Rooster's company does prove to be something of an endurance test." Rylance went on to win the Olivier Award for Best Actor
Laurence Olivier Awards
The Laurence Olivier Award is presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre. Named after the renowned British actor Laurence Olivier, they are given for West End shows and other productions staged in London...
for his performance.
2011 Broadway
Jerusalem opened on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
on 21 April 2011 at the Music Box Theatre
Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theater is a Broadway theatre located at 239 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.The once most aptly named theater on Broadway, the intimate Music Box was designed by architect C. Howard Crane and constructed by composer Irving Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris specifically to...
, following previews from 2 April 2011. It was scheduled to play a limited season until 24 July 2011, and then got a four week extension (to 21 August). Mark Rylance reprises the role of Rooster, with Mackenzie Crook and most of the original Royal Court cast also transferring. The full cast for the production was announced on February 17, 2011, with John Gallagher, Jr.
John Gallagher, Jr.
John Howard Gallagher, Jr. is an American actor and musician perhaps best known for originating the role of Moritz Stiefel in Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's rock musical Spring Awakening...
, Max Baker, Geraldine Hughes and Richard Short
Richard Short (actor)
Richard Ian Porterfield Short is an English actor currently working in Los Angeles. Most recently appeared in the FX Network show "American Horror Story" directed by 'Miguel Arteta' as well as the feature film "The Exhibitionists" for director Michael Melamedoff, playing 'Walter Todd', to be...
joining the show. The play received a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination as "best play", but lost to War Horse
War Horse (play)
War Horse is a play based on the book of the same name by acclaimed children's writer Michael Morpurgo, adapted for stage by Nick Stafford. Originally Morpurgo thought "they must be mad" to try to make a play from his best-selling 1982 novel. He was proved wrong by the play's instant success...
(although Rylance won the Best Actor award).
2011 Return to West End
After its Broadway engagement, Jerusalem is scheduled to return to the West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
in London, playing at the Apollo
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
from 8 October 2011 until 14 January 2012. Again, reviews were raving, with The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
-critic Charles Spencer
Charles Spencer (journalist)
Charles Spencer is a British journalist. He has been the drama critic of The Daily Telegraph since 1991. In 2006, Compton Miller of The Independent wrote in a profile: "This convivial ex-alcoholic is best remembered for his description of Nicole Kidman's nude scene in The Blue Room as 'pure...
giving it five stars (out of five), describing Mark Rylance as "an actor of indisputable greatness, giving the most thrilling performance it has ever been my privilege to witness."