Jerusalem

Jerusalem

Ashton Hayes

9/2/23

A three-hour epic, “Jerusalem” begins with a fairy singing the lovely poem set to music by Sir Hubert Parry, which is shattered by rock music blaring from the speakers atop Rooster’s caravan home. From there we’re off on a harrowing, but frequently hilarious ride.

First performed at the Royal Court Theatre in 2009, Jerusalem has been widely hailed as the best British play so far this century. So, it’s a brave choice for an amateur dramatic company based in Tarvin to attempt this production.

This provocative play tells the story of Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron, local waster and Lord of Misrule. Rooster is a wanted man: the council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his son wants to be taken to the fair, a vengeful father wants to give him a serious kicking, and a motley crew of mates wants his ample supply of drugs and alcohol. Yet beneath the vulgar language and “simulated drug usage” the play does have some very profound messages.  

This is a cleverly directed production from Yvette Owen, perfect casting plus a well-chosen crew.  You can tell when a cast really trusts the director, the script and each other.   It has everything; richly drawn lovable rogues, comedy, shock, and a ticking time-bomb of a plot.

Andy Jordan as John Rooster Byron is inevitably the star of the show, he is completely convincing as the “Gypsy King” a truly stunning performance.

The play takes place on St George’s Day in Flintlock Wiltshire on the day of their annual fair. We are at the woodland spot being illegally occupied by Rooster as he is about to be evicted from is makeshift caravan, though he continues to protest against the council and the new housing development nearby. Praise here to the set, which was simply brilliant. Rooster is both a heroic anti-establishment rebel and one of society’s losers; an immortal daredevil (he claims to have risen from the dead and speaks of the alchemical properties of “Byron” blood) not to mention meeting the giant who claimed to have built Stonehenge, gifting him a drum to summon the mythical giants.

Rooster holds court telling tall tales to the crew of young locals he hangs out with, these tales are regarded with both doubt and reverence by the teenage kids, Felicity Parry (Tanya), Cartin Jones (Pea) who discuss the disappearance of their friend Phaedra. Sam Mulford (Davey) as a young worker in a slaughterhouse who never wishes to leave Wiltshire.

Rooster has a son Marty, (Joseph Tomlinson & Isaac Bright alternative days) his mother Dawn (Geraldine Griffiths) still has feeling for him. However, Rooster makes clumsy excuses for not taking him to the fair, this provokes a mockingly scathing attack from Dawn; calling him a deluded bum, a Supertramp and a bad father.

Harry Johnson is hilarious as Ginger, Roosters self-deluded and cowardly sidekick (an out-of-work plasterer who reckons himself a DJ), he is a delight to watch an exceptional performance from Harry. I was impressed by Dan Aynsley under-stated performance of Lee, who is sensibly leaving for Australia with the princely sum of £200! and not much else.  John Booth is highly comical as the elderly Professor, an English folk rites enthusiast who seems to have stumbled on set from another play; his description of his unwitting acid trip is a delight. Dave Rogerson was also excellent as the Morris dancing Wesley, the landlord of the local pub who fails to see his own hypocrisy in begging Rooster for drugs one minute and banning him from his pub for bad behaviour the next.

However, time is running out for Rooster. The Council representatives Mrs Fawcett (Joanne Ridgley) and Mr Parsons (Charlie Gobbett) present him with a petition signed by nearly every resident in the town, including all the housewives he has seduced and the husbands who owe him money for drug debts. Meanwhile an angry father Troy (Mike Kelsall) threatens Rooster believing he is responsible for the disappearance of his 15-year-old daughter, who is also the reigning Flintlock May Queen, Phaedra (Pamela Hewitt).

Phaedra emerges from his  caravan encouraging Rooster to dance with her,, a sensitive scene before she flees after seeing her father. Troy returns with his thuggish brothers Frank (Steve Lincoln) & Danny (Gareth Owen). Who savagely attack Rooster pushing him into the caravan.  Rooster appears  falling to the ground, beaten and covered in blood, still defiant he pours petrol over the caravan, then beats the giant’s drum.

Called ‘unarguably one of the best dramas of the twenty-first century’ by The Guardian and with themes of national identity, this modern masterpiece is sure to provoke debate. After watching interviews with respected theatre critics for me the play is a modern fairy tale its constant use of English myth and folk lore. A play about an old figure in the woods who enchants the young and angers the authority.

Ashton Hayes Theatre Group are to be commended for their ambition. This was an accomplished production. The audience were with you all every minute of the three-hour production.

Congratulations to all concerned it was quite a theatre experience.

 

Joanne Rymer

NODA

District 4.

 

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