Reader Reviews
Jerusalem (Apollo Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | When I originally saw Jerusalem at the Royal Court I was not quite caught up in the 5-star hysteria, apart from marvelling at Mark Rylance's extraordinary performance. Possibly I had heard too much about what it is really like to have something like Dale Farm on your doorstep to find Jez Butterworth's tale of drinking, drugs and criminality romantic or heroic. However, given the astonishing success of the play in the West End, New York and now back for a final fling at the Apollo it seemed sensible to re-evaluate what many people regard as the greatest play of the century so far. On a second viewing it is possibly not as funny as on first acquaintance but I was struck by a sense of sadness hanging over the sad and wasted lives of almost every character. A substantial proportion of the cast are still in place after more than two years, but there is a substantial improvement in the current Pea, although the actors playing Lee and especially Wesley are not a patch on the originals. Rylance is still a force of nature but this is a more subdued Rooster Byron, aware of his declining faculties and his lack of a place in a changing world. Jerusalem is undoubtedly a remarkable play, even if only for the success it has achieved, but mainly because of the larger than life character of Rooster Byron which Butterworth and Rylance have created. - David Baxter | 12 Jan 12 |
| Who wouldn't side with Johnny 'Rooster' Byron and his indomitable spirit. A true hero in the old mold - unbreakable. And has anyone considered that his stories are real...? Or have we become a nation of rationalists? - Martin | 31 Dec 11 |
| Yes, strong lead actor and some good laughs and various themes hit on but it drags on, the dialogues are neither deep, nor punchy, nor hilarious most of the time. Felt like leaving at the first break and regretted not acting on the impulse thinking it would somehow get more interesting and live up to the hype. - Steve | 15 Dec 11 |
| One of the worst 10 plays I have ever seen - a 3 hour endurance test. A bunch of characters I couldn't care less about, spouting weak jokes propped up by tiresome foul language. - oldhasbeen | 06 Nov 11 |
| Saw this on Saturday. Thouhgt I wouldn't be able to see it because of the popularity and price but went online Friday night and saw that the upper circle restricted view ticket(s) were over £47, I think. Queued £10 for a Box A, instead. Never done day seats before nor saw Rylance live, I think. He was making eye contact it felt like al the way, through. One of the best things I've ever seen on stage. Matched All My Sons and Blood Brothers, I think. Bravo! - theatrefan | 17 Oct 11 |
| This play was refreshing and amazing, the acting was brilliant, and it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time (literally because of the nose-bleed section seats!). Really worth seeing if you don't mind foul language. I would rate it 5 stars, only I took 1 off because the play is very long, and I felt the 3rd leg dragged on a little too long. Go see it !! - Guest | 09 Apr 10 |
| Emotionally exhaustive, brilliant play. 1000 thanks to my lovely lady friend for getting tix and talking me into seeing the play while on vacation in London. Go see this before it's too late. - J. Martinez | 09 Apr 10 |
| A lovely opening song ruined by the rest of the play. Abysmal script with excessive amounts of swearing and innuendoes it was a truly awful night out. Great performance from Rylance and most of the others but it was a shame they were depicting such horrible characters. Do youreslves a favour and save your money, i 100% DON'T recommend this play. - MH | 13 Mar 10 |
| Truly 5 star. Rylance deserves all the plaudits. Fabulous writing too. SEE THIS PLAY! - Peter G | 04 Mar 10 |
| When I reviewed this play during the Royal Court run six months ago, I said it was great though not a classic – well, I’m wrong; it is! It has so much depth that it needs a second view. It's a theatrical feast with an epic sweep and it’s very funny, but somehow the contradictions come through more. Your sympathies are with rebel Rooster Byron but you know you’d hate it if he was your neighbour. You laugh at the ‘war stories’ of drug-fuelled parties the morning after, but you can’t approve of his drug dealing. Your heart is with his in an England of old but your brain knows things have to change. Even his young followers both celebrate and exploit him. There are many themes being explored here – changes in rural life, tolerance of different lifestyles, urban invasion - and you’re thinking about them a long time after you’ve left the theatre - but it’s the pace, rhythm and energy that sweeps you away and sustains a running time of over 3 hours without flagging for a moment. There is more poignancy second time round and his loneliness really gets under your skin. It’s a real state-of-the-(rural)-nation play with lots to say about lots of things, but without rights and wrongs, taking sides or preaching. At times last night, I felt I was in the woods with this lord of misrule and his pilgrims. There are a lot of young inexperienced actors in this superb ensemble who will no doubt never forget the experience of a nightly masterclass in acting from Mark Rylance, who positively inhabits this wonderfully meaty role of Shakespearean proportions. You don’t see many performances like this in a lifetime. There’s an Airstream caravan in the woods with a soundscape that helps take you there. It doesn’t look like it was directed, which is a great compliment to Ian Rickson’s direction! It IS a classic and it will be revived in the future, but go and see it now because it’s a play for now with a production and performances which are probably already definitive. - Gareth James | 11 Feb 10 |
| Magnificent - JH | 10 Feb 10 |
