The Rooster is back. Ian Rickson's acclaimed production of Jez Butterworth's play Jerusalem returns to London's West End for a limited run, with original stars Mark Rylance and Mackenzie Crook reprising their roles. Jerusalem tickets will be available on London Theatre soon.
Johnny "Rooster" Byron is a wanted man. Local council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his friends want his ample supply of alcohol and drugs, his son wants to take him to the county fair, and Troy Whitworth wants to settle a score. It's a lot for one man, living out in the woods in a caravan, to handle. How does The Rooster do it?
Jerusalem first premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 2009, in the downstairs Jerwood Theatre. Butterworth's play was an instant sell-out sensation and received critical acclaim. Rickson's production quickly transferred to the West End in 2010, then to Broadway in 2011, and then to the West End again later in 2011. Rylance and Crook played Johnny "Rooster" Byron and Ginger respectively in all four productions. The pair now return to those two legendary roles.
Jerusalem was showered with awards upon its initial staging. Rylance won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play, and the play was nominated for six Olivier Awards overall. The following year, Rylance won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, and Jerusalem again received six nominations total. The Independent described the play in a 2019 article as "the greatest British play of the century."
Jerusalem returns to London's West End twelve years after its premiere as the continued reigning champion of British theatrical drama. The Rooster is back at it again.
Tickets to Jerusalem will be available soon.
