Review: Jerusalem at Harrogate Theatre

Lauren Crisp is a book editor, writer and keen follower of arts and culture. She reviews theatre and cultural events in and around the district in her spare time. You can contact Lauren on laurencrispwriter@gmail.com. 

When Jez Butterworth’s state-of-the-nation play, Jerusalem, premiered in London in 2009, it was deemed by some the play of the century. No pressure, then, for Harrogate Dramatic Society (HDS), whose latest offering opened on Thursday evening.

A dilapidated caravan sits in a woodland clearing, bordered by trees and littered with the detritus of a riotous night before. On St. George’s Day morning, two council workers arrive to pin an eviction notice on the illegal dwelling of anarchic, drug-dealing outcast, Johnny “Rooster” Byron.

This modern-day West-Country Falstaff rendering refuses to let society bulldoze his anti-establishment sanctuary. Surrounded by a misfit and misled band of local youths who rely on him for illicit substances and many a tall tale, Rooster is, as his nickname suggests, a strutting, defiant symbol of English identify, fiercely resisting modernity.

HDS’s stage design is a real highlight, depicting the gritty counterculture of the place, juxtaposed with the verdant and elemental forest features.  

Gary Bowman captures the primitive, destructive Rooster with fervour, alongside loyal sidekick Ginger, played by James Wilstrop. The supporting cast is a hedonistic chorus, amplifying the production’s sense of lawless, frenzied energy.

Dialogue is this play’s lifeblood, its language a heady mixture of profanities and poetry. At three hours long, this piece is a challenge for both performers and audience, but the cast proves itself a commanding and engaging force.

There is little exploration of characters other than Rooster – and of the play’s women, in particular, who are largely underdeveloped and subject to somewhat pejorative gags. Nor is this play for the faint-hearted. There is an exceptionally heavy use of a certain swear word – more than in any production I have ever seen.

Provocative, gritty, chaotic: you’ll have to see it to believe it.

Jerusalem is on at Harrogate Theatre until Saturday, October 17.

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