Thursday, April 28, 2011

Theater Review: Jerusalem

This City on a Hill Might Just Turn on You
By Lauren Yarger
Mark Rylance is the second coming, in more ways than one. He tore up the stage last season with his delightfully obnoxious turn in La Bete and is back for more, this time playing a hard-living, pleasure grabbing sort of Messiah in the transfer of the Royal Court Theatre’s production of Jez Butterworth’s dark, funny and enigmatic saga Jerusalem.

With his painful limp, a reminder of his glory days as an Evel Knievel daredevil who jumped double-decker buses, and an uncontainable energy, Johnny “Rooster” Byron (Rylance) plows through life throwing wild booze and drug gatherings for the kids who live in the New Estate development near his trailer in the English countryside.

Those activities, his litter-strewn trailer and grounds (Ultz, scenic and costume design) and his refusal to pay taxes have angered the neighbors who have rallied to have him evicted. Two government officials (Sarah Moyle and Harvey Robinson) arrive to serve notice after a party that quickly is becoming legend. Those who attended slowly emerge out of the woods in preparation for celebrating the annual Flintock St. George’s Fair.

Ian Rickson ably directs a large cast. There’s Davey (Danny Kirrane), who has no desire to travel from his rural environment and who doesn’t understand why Lee Piper (John Gallagher, Jr.) has decided to take off for Australia first thing in the morning. Also on hand are an absent-minded Professor (Alan David) who looks for his dead wife, Wesley (Max Baker), owner of the last pub which hasn’t banned Rooster from its premises, two party girls, Pea and Tanya (Molly Ranson and Charlotte Mills) and Ginger (a spot-on Mackenzie Crook) who is sort of a straight-man, devil’s advocate for the tall tales with which Rooster entertains the group.

Also coming in for the fair are Rooster’s former wife, Dawn (Geraldine Hughes), and the 6-year-old son Marky (Mark Page and Aiden Ayrick) he has neglected. Rooster also receives a less-than-friendly visit from Troy Whitworth (Barry Sloane) looking for his stepdaughter Phaedra (Aimee-Ffion Edwards), the fair queen, who has been missing for days. Jay Sullivan and Richard Short round out the cast.

All of these folks are in emotional pain of some kind and flock to Rooster in the hopes of eliminating it. Every time they look into his dark eyes, however, they see something terrifying they can’t face (and we hear a rumble of thunder, Ian Dickinson for Autograph, sound design).

Butterworth writes a play that is very funny, deep and almost mythical. Though it holds our interest for three hours, it could be shorter, and from my perspective, a little more to the point. Having invested such time and emotion I wanted some sort of conclusion, a solid message to take away. Instead, I felt strangely satisfied by seeing a superior work, but not really sure what it all was about.

Allegorical comparisons between Rooster and Christ abound including:
  • A feeling of impending doom hangs over the piece, not unlike Christ’s waiting to be taken at the Garden of Gethsemane. For Rooster, the garden is the ancient patch of woods his family has handed down through the generations.
  • He claims his mother was a virgin when she bore him (in a truly funny story)
  • Rooster was pronounced dead after one of his jumping accidents, then miraculously revived
  • He hangs out with the undesirables of his time.
  • Jesus’ hostile crowd clamored for crucifixion; Rooster’s calls for eviction.
  • He sheds his blood for others.
  • He is betrayed by his friends and spit upon.
  • He tells “parables” to the crowds who flock around him.
  • He even lists a long line of “begats.”
Rooster hardly is Jesus, however, and with his poor choices, bad advice and reliance on spells and spirit, it’s more likely he could be representing evil. That doesn’t seem to be the point, though, either.

According to the playwright’s program notes, the title comes from the hymn “Jerusalem,” based on a William Blake poem about Jesus visiting England and the idea of a city that is a metaphor for heaven and earth, with people living in peace with each other and with the land.

It’s very funny, brilliantly acted and engrossing. And while I got a lot of the references, I just couldn't decide why they were there. I guess I’m just not British enough.

Jerusalem plays through July 24 at the Music Box Theatre, 239 West 45th Street, NYC. For tickets, visit http://www.telecharge.com.

Christians might also like to know:
Language
Nudity
God’s name taken in vain
Drug use
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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008- 2024 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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