Having blown away the crowds at Royal Court Theatre last summer, Jerusalem sets up camp in the West End to reveal the darker side of England's pastures green.
Featuring the famous faces of Mackenzie Crook (The Office, Pirates Of The Carribean) and maverick Mark Rylance (The Government Inspector, The Other Boleyn Girl, Boeing Boeing) leading its cast, Jerusalem at Shaftesbury Avenue's Apollo Theatre is what Shameless would be like if the Gallaghers moved to the country.
The city has been done to death, so thankfully writer Jez Butterworth, inspired by his new life breeding pigs in Somerset, provides balance with a compelling look at the dystopia of contemporary rural life.
The story kicks off on St George's Day when Romany ex-stuntman, drug dealer and father Johnny Byron finds he is in demand. His kids want him to take them to the fair, the police want to take him down the station and the neighbourhood wasters want him to show them a real good time. But where the hell is Johnny?
Jerusalem takes a good hard look at what it means to be a community, touches on the undermining of individualism in these corporate times, and shows much appreciation for booze and custard creams. Expect opinionated eccentrics, lovable rogues, and wasters dwelling in the almost mystical woods of England's green and pleasant land.
Jerusalem runs at Apollo Theatre from 28.01.10 until 24.04.10
Photo credit: Simon Annand
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