Jerusalem Review 2009

Genre: Comedy
Opened 15 July 2009
Written: By Jez Butterworth
Directed:Ian Rickson
Cast: Mark Rylance (Johnny), Mackenzie Crook (Ginger)
Synopsis: On St George's Day, the morning of the local county fair, Johnny Byron, local waster and modern day Pied Piper, is a wanted man. The council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his children want their dad to take them 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.

What the popular press had to say....
SARAH HEMMING for THE FINANCIAL TIMES says, "A wonderful, rollicking, dark comedy about contemporary life in rural England...the whole play is carried along by [Mark] Rylance's excellent, enigmatic Rooster." MICHAEL BILLINGTON for THE GUARDIAN says, "Perfectly judged production...Mackenzie Crook, Tom Brooke and Danny Kirrane are all impressive in supporting roles, but the triumph belongs to Rylance for perfectly embodying Butterworth's vision of a vanished demonic magic." HENRY HITCHING'S for THE EVENING STANDARD says, "Rylance's is an astonishing performance, which confirms that he is one of our finest stage actors." CHARLES SPENCER for THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, "The moods keep shifting, and right to the end you are never quite sure whether you are watching a rambunctious comedy or a terrible tragedy in the making...I'd say that it is rich, strange and continuously gripping, and Ian Rickson's beautifully acted production, with a superb woodland design by Ultz, is one of the must-see events of the summer." JEREMY AUSTIN for THE STAGE says, "A theatrical treat." BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE for THE TIMES says, "A bold, ebullient and often hilarious State-of-England or (almost) State-of-Olde-England play."

External links to full reviews from popular press
The Guardian
Daily Telegraph
The Times
Financial Times

Production photo by Simon Annand