Jerusalem (play)

Jerusalem
Written by	Jez Butterworth
Date premiered	2009
Place premiered	Royal Court in London
Original language	English

Jerusalem is a play by Jez Butterworth that opened at the downstairs theatre of the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2009. The production starred Mark Rylance as Johnny "Rooster" Byron and Mackenzie Crook as Ginger. After receiving rave reviews its run was extended. In January 2010 it transferred to the Apollo Theatre.

On St. George's Day, the morning of the local county fair, Johnny "Rooster" Byron, local waster and modern day Pied Piper, is a wanted man. The council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his son wants him to take him 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.

Jerusalem has a cast of around 14; some of the main characters:

Johnny "Rooster" Byron – opinionated eccentric ex-daredevil and teller of fantastically improbable stories, he has a young son whom he rarely sees, and lives in a caravan in the local woods holding parties where he gets drunk and supplies drugs, some of them to under-age kids.

Ginger – pathetic underdog of the group, he is older than the others who hang around with Johnny, never having grown out of the lifestyle. He aspires to be a DJ, but is in fact an unemployed plasterer.

The Professor – vague and whimsical, the elderly professor spouts philosophical nothings and unwittingly takes LSD.

Davey – young teenage abbatoir worker who is best friends with Lee, and visits Rooster regularly for free drugs and alcohol. He can't stand the idea of leaving Wiltshire.

Troy Whitworth – local thug, the same age as Ginger; his stepdaughter, whom (it is strongly implied) he sexually abuses, goes missing in the play; he badly beats Johnny up at the end of the play.

Lee – young teenager, he enters the play having been hidden in the sofa asleep after about 15 minutes; he plans to emigrate to Australia the next day, despite having little money to take with him.

Phaedra – Troy's stepdaughter, she is seen at the beginning of both Act One and Two singing the hymn "Jerusalem" dressed in fairy wings, and her disappearance is referred to; it is only at the end of Act Two that it is revealed that she is actually hiding in Johnny's caravan.

Pea and Tanya – two local girls who emerge from underneath Johnny's caravan, having fallen asleep drunk there.

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