A comic, contemporary vision of rural life in our green and pleasant land, Jez Butterworth's epic new play is wildly original. It concerns the erosion of country life in the modern day world. The central character is Mark Rylance as hellraiser Johnny Byron, 'a efficiency so charismatic, so mercurial, so total and compelling that it does not appear like acting', plus a superb ensemble cast such as Mackenzie Crook who 'excels' as Johnny's sidekick Ginger.
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, Wiltshire) Johnny "Rooster" Byron, nearby waster and modern day day Pied Piper, is really a wanted man. The council officials desire to serve him an eviction notice, his son, Marky desires his dad to take him towards the fair, Troy Whitworth desires to give him a significant 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.
London West End 2010 Following a productive run at London's 380-seat Royal Court theatre, Jerusalem transferred to London's West Finish in 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 evaluation. Tim Walker within 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 issue with the term 'local personality', nonetheless, is that it is all too typically a polite euphemism for a crushing bore, and 3 hours in Rooster's firm does prove to be something of an endurance test." Rylance went on to win the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance.
Broadway 2011 Jerusalem opened on Broadway on 21st April 2011 at the Music Box Theatre, following previews from 2nd April 2011. It was scheduled to play a limited season until 24th July 2011, after which got a 4 week extension (to 21st 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 17th, 2011, with John Gallagher Jnr., 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 (despite the fact that Rylance won the best Actor award).
The Apollo Theatre was opened 1 month after the death of Queen Victoria thus producing it the first West End theatre of the Edwardian age. The auditorium was renovated in 1932. The balcony (3rd tier) is said to be the steepest in London you have been warned!
The Apollo Theatre featured mostly musical comedies inside the early days. The theatre became the residence of Harry Gabriel Pelissier's The Follies from 1908 to 1912. From the thirties it's specialised mostly in light comedies, thrillers and farces. Marc Camoletti's Boeing Boeing opened here in 1962 ahead of transferring to the Duchess Theatre in 1965 where it completed a total of 2,035 performances.
History then repeated itself when Camoletti's Don't Dress For Dinner opened here on 26th March, 1991 ahead of transferring towards the Duchess Theatre on 26th October, 1992 where it then closed on 1st March, 1997
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, Wiltshire) Johnny "Rooster" Byron, nearby waster and modern day day Pied Piper, is really a wanted man. The council officials desire to serve him an eviction notice, his son, Marky desires his dad to take him towards the fair, Troy Whitworth desires to give him a significant 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.
London West End 2010 Following a productive run at London's 380-seat Royal Court theatre, Jerusalem transferred to London's West Finish in 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 evaluation. Tim Walker within 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 issue with the term 'local personality', nonetheless, is that it is all too typically a polite euphemism for a crushing bore, and 3 hours in Rooster's firm does prove to be something of an endurance test." Rylance went on to win the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance.
Broadway 2011 Jerusalem opened on Broadway on 21st April 2011 at the Music Box Theatre, following previews from 2nd April 2011. It was scheduled to play a limited season until 24th July 2011, after which got a 4 week extension (to 21st 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 17th, 2011, with John Gallagher Jnr., 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 (despite the fact that Rylance won the best Actor award).
The Apollo Theatre was opened 1 month after the death of Queen Victoria thus producing it the first West End theatre of the Edwardian age. The auditorium was renovated in 1932. The balcony (3rd tier) is said to be the steepest in London you have been warned!
The Apollo Theatre featured mostly musical comedies inside the early days. The theatre became the residence of Harry Gabriel Pelissier's The Follies from 1908 to 1912. From the thirties it's specialised mostly in light comedies, thrillers and farces. Marc Camoletti's Boeing Boeing opened here in 1962 ahead of transferring to the Duchess Theatre in 1965 where it completed a total of 2,035 performances.
History then repeated itself when Camoletti's Don't Dress For Dinner opened here on 26th March, 1991 ahead of transferring towards the Duchess Theatre on 26th October, 1992 where it then closed on 1st March, 1997
About the Author:
Learn more about London theatre. Stop by Charlotte Kingston's website where you can find Apollo Theatre tickets.
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