JERUSALEM Reviews

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 12:50am

Jez Butterworth’s award-winning smash hit arrives on Broadway, opening tonight 4/21, following record-breaking sold-out runs at London’s Royal Court Theatre and in the West End.

According to production notes, "On the morning of the local county fair, Johnny Byron is a wanted man. Local officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his son wants his full attention, and his motley crew of friends wants his ample supply of booze…"

Best to all involved!

Welcome back to NY, Mr. Rylance!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 9:19am

Expect critics to cream over themselves and shove their noses so far up Rylances arse that their heads come out of his mouth.

[nexttotheheights]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 11:09am

Yeah, I think they're going to get the overenthusiastic reviews that they got in London. I haven't seen it yet so I can't judge, but we'll see.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 11:34am

It's a very odd play, with very little to do with "reality," but I still found it enormously entertaining. Just nonsensical.

It certainly would help if you go in with some knowledge of St. George and the Dragon and other English cultural history. But the characters aren't people; they're cartoons or something. I don't believe they were intended to be people; the play seems to be too wacky and magical to be concerned with "reality."

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 11:48am

I really don't know exactly what it was, but I thought it was glorious. The writing, though the audience doesn't know exactly what's going on in general, is very crisp in regards to specific moments, and Rylance's performance amps things up to a high level. The end of the show makes the entire thing worthwhile. I hope it gets very good reviews.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 11:50am

I would be surprised if it received the reaction as it did in London. I'm sure the reviews will largely be positive, however.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 11:52am

I agree with you, Kad. For some reason, I don't expect they'll be as rapturous, but it's not going to be ENRON 2, either.

[silversurfer2]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 12:01pm

To All involved, wishing you the best for tonight.
Seeing it tmw, cannot wait.

[billyboyA]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 12:43pm

I'll be there tonight. Can't wait!

[wendilin622]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 12:52pm

Saw it yesterday, not really sure what I saw but I was completely enthralled. The more I think about it, the more I really liked it. I feel like I need to go back and see it again.

Best to everyone involved with it!

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 5:45pm

amNY -- very early and positive, 3/4 stars

http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/theater-review-jerusalem-1.2831529

"While the three-hour drama occasionally lags, it provides a fully fledged portrait of Rooster as a modern-day Falstaff. Rylance gives a mesmerizing, thoroughly transformative performance that will leave theatergoers in awe of his spectacular physical and vocal abilities."

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 6:51pm

Why don't the reviewers give detailed descriptions of the show curtain?

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 6:55pm

We can ignore him. He's 3/4 snob.

[nexttotheheights]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 7:51pm

The New York Times is a rave.
Ben Brantley,
The New York Times: ""Jerusalem" could have been written in almost any year from the 1920s onward. Yet this work takes you places - distant, out-of-time places - that well-made plays seldom do. And it thinks big - transcendently big - in ways contemporary drama seldom dares...But Rylance also captures - to a degree I can imagine no other contemporary actor doing - Johnny's vast, vital, Falstaffian appetite for pleasure, for independence, for life itself."

Updated On: 4/21/11 at 07:51 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 8:02pm

Brantley's full review was leaked.

http://www.newsok.com/bc-jerusalem-theater-review-art-nyt/article/feed/252206 Updated On: 4/21/11 at 08:02 PM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 8:51pm

Ugh, I really hope Mantello can give Rylance a run for his money during award season.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 9:03pm

It's a weird, lengthy, ambitious, ambiguous play that's going to alienate a lot of people, and I'm not surprised that it's been so divisive. But I'm very pleased Brantley gave this tough commercial sell the review it needed to have a chance of success. Thoroughly deserved, in my opinion.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 9:46pm

High of 86 degrees today in Oklahoma, according to the leak source.

Imagine.

Play sounds intriguing.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 9:52pm

I'm not saying anything original, but look what a great season that it's been for actors (and my apologies to any that momentarily slipped my mind):

1. Rylance in La Bete;
2. Pacino in Merchant;
3. Cannavale in Mother;
4. Williams in Bengal Tiger;
5. Bedford in Importance;
6. Cruddup in Arcadia;
7. Rylance in Jerusalem;
8. Mantello in Normal Heart!

In over 55 years of attending the NYC theatre on a regular basis, I've rarely encountered that many great performances in one season. Any of these performances are Tony-worthy and would have won hands down in some of our more lackluster seasons (and I've been through my share of them, too). THIS is what great theatre is all about and THIS is the reason we hang on and keep going. I feel truly blessed that I have had the good fortune to see this. Again, sorry about oversights.

Updated On: 4/21/11 at 09:52 PM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 9:59pm

I'd add James Earl Jones in Driving Miss Daisy to that list.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 10:10pm

What are the Tony rules about an actor being nominated for two different performances in the same category? Can Rylance be nominated for both La Bete and Jerusalem or will they Kate Winslet him?

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 10:19pm

He can be nominated twice in the same category. I doubt they will do it though. My guess is that he'll get the nomination for Jerusalem, which will really count as his nomination for both shows. That way, the nominating committee can spread the love.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 10:20pm

the shortlist:

BEST PERFORMANCE OF A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Brian Bedford, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
Bobby Cannavale, THE MOTHERF**KER WITH THE HAT
Tate Donovan, GOOD PEOPLE
Raul Esparza, ARCADIA
James Earl Jones, DRIVING MISS DAISY
Dan Lauria, LOMBARDI
John Leguizamo, GHETTO KLOWN
Joe Mantello, THE NORMAL HEART
Al Pacino, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
David Hyde Pierce, LA BETE
Paul Reubens, THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW
Mark Rylance, JERUSALEM
Patrick Stewart, A LIFE IN THE THEATRE
Robin Williams, BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 10:33pm

Very glad to see the good response that this play deserved.

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 4/21/11 at 10:54pm

Not surprised, but nonetheless thrilled at these reviews. Well deserved.