Sunday, July 24, 2011

Jerusalem

        Two time Tony award winner Mark Rylance is shaking the foundation of The Music Box theater with his powerful performance in Jez Butterworths brilliant play Jerusalem. An iconic performance is being delivered on those boards folks, the likes of which people will talk about for years to come. Mr. Rylance place Johnny "Rooster" Byron, and these two names will be come as synonymous with each other as Ethyl Merman and Mama Rose, Carol Channing and Dolly Levi, and Patti Lupone and Evita.

      On it's surface the play is about a hollow shell of man who deals drugs, drinks to much and lives in a trailer in the woods being evicted from his property, and the self destruction that leads up to and follows that point. Beneath that surface Jerusalem is about so much more that I doubt one can understand it fully in only one viewing of the play.

     Jerusalem is a play that takes place in the present, but calls for the days of yore. Characters in the play are very often waxing nostalgic over the way things used to be. While the play takes place in Britain and is very much about the decline of English society, it's underlying themes are universal and can be applied to any nation rich in history, culture, and nature.

   The set design reinforces this longing for days gone by. The show curtain is St. Georges cross, which was the flag of medieval England. Johnny's trailer is adorned with a sign that reads "Waterloo". Johnny himself is like a modern day Robin Hood, protecting his "Sherwood forest".

    There is very little time left for New York audiences to take in this true masterpiece. The show closes it's (extended) limited engagement on August 21st. There are many ways to get tickets without forking over an arm and a leg. If you arrive at the box office an hour before it opens they give out tickets for $36.50 to the first 15 or so people in line. There are also discounts available on www.broadwaybox.com make a point to see this play, you will not be disappointed.

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