Tower Theatre – until 9th May 2026
Reviewed by Jackie Thornton
3***
Jerusalem was hailed as the greatest play of our times and lavished with awards when Jez Butterworth first brought it to audiences in 2009. But has it stood the test of time? Director Jonathan Reed’s interpretation is faithful to the original and Rob Hebblethwaite and Sophie Clark’s detailed set coupled with the costume design of Kate Els certainly transports us to a recent, pre-Brexit history. Our story takes place by a crummy caravan in the middle of a Wiltshire forest on St George’s Day, from where our protagonist Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron is on the verge of being evicted. Giles Fouhy strikes the right balance of hero and villain as local legend Rooster, who claims to be Romany, alludes to a past life as a dare devil but who also likes to spin a tall tale. His account of meeting a giant at Stone Henge is mesmerising.
Jerusalem is not an easy play to engage with, perhaps even more so if like me you’re not English. It chooses to present an image of a spoiled England and suggests through William Blake’s poem that its green and pleasant land has been besmirched. Through complex metaphors, Butterworth introduces to a range of outcasts designed to assist us in diagnosing where English society has gone wrong. There’s a learned professor, played with a spacey detachment by Richard Tinworth, as he rattles off verses and myths, much to the apathy of the youth who just want to party. This rich seam of humour never quite makes its mark. There are many funny moments though, not least Rooster’s physical humour as he downs a raw egg or Tim Waghorn’s Ginger as he talks to a coconut he’s won at the fair. Liam Stewart displays strong comic bones as clueless Davey, who can’t see the point of other countries, and despite their marginalised roles, Lulu Freeman as Tanya and Catherine Reid as Pea make an excellent duo as the dim-witted, ditzy young women who’s only goal is to get wasted and get laid.
Morgan Buckley’s Lee is another lost soul, representing the one character who has seen a way out but is now too scared to go. Martin Shaw’s depressed, drug guzzling pub landlord Wesley, replete in Morris dancing gear, represents what the future may hold if this next generation don’t buck up their ideas. There’s also a menacing performance from Ben Mulhearn as Troy, determined to punish Rooster for drawing his daughter Phaedra, the runaway May Queen played by Amy Bloomfield and a vision of innocence in a cloak of pale green gauzy wings lit up by fairy lights, into his web. Bloomfield does great work in combining teenage awkwardness with graceful beauty, reminding us how fleeting youth is. Finally Fiona Makia as Fawcett, the no nonsense council officer charged with evicting Rooser, and Emily Carmichael’s Dawn, the beleaguered mother of Rooster’s child, may not occupy the stage for long but their presence is deeply felt and it would have been nice to see more of them. Indeed, it’s perhaps the treatment of female characters, along with the dated references that are yet to feel nostalgic, that makes this play feel out of touch with today’s audiences.
Strong performances, good comic touches and a wonderful set but it’s a long three hours.