Mark Rylance might be the greatest actor to grace a Broadway stage in a long time.  It appears as though he can handle any kind of material and play a plethora of roles with ease.  In the fall he was the sloppy, socially and conversationally awkward Valere in La Bete.  This spring he is Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron the modern day English Pied Piper with a substance problem in Jerusalem.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s nominated for both roles at the Tony Awards this year.  Before seeing Jerusalem, I would highly recommend reading the directors note in the Playbill as well as reading up on the myth of the Pied Piper.  I unfortunately did neither though I still managed to enjoy it. Jerusalem, inspired by the famous English song of the same name about finding a Utopian civilization, is about Johnny and his, for lack of a better term, mignons who are assorted teenagers and slightly older adolescents from the nearby town.   The entire cast is fantastic, though of course all pale in the shadow of Rylance.  The set is a simple trailer, and some trash scattered on fake grass and there isn’t much lighting to speak of.  Dare I say that the fantastically talented John Gallagher Jr. has been pigeon-holed in his career?  He played one of the kids from town, Lee, who is leaving soon to go to Australia to “see what else is out there,” and the like.  Does that sound like any of the other characters he’s played?  I’m pretty sure it’s like all of them, but he still does a fantastic job and though it took me a bit to get used to his accent, once it settled it it was quite good.  A personal favorite of mine was MacKenzie Crook who played Ginger, another one of the kids although he’s slightly older than the rest.  He was funny and endearing and I felt bad for him more than once.  Aiden Eyrick, who plays Johnny’s son Marky, is probably the most underused character on Broadway, and quite an expensive prop he is.  He adds a bit to Johnny’s character and we learn what he’s left behind to live in the woods, but nothing much would have been lost if we never saw his son.  Looking at it as a producer, it’s a really, really expensive role (two kids to split the role, child wrangler, tutor, etc).  He is certainly cute though. Jerusalem is filled with comedic moments and a few sad ones, there’s even some blood too.  In Jerusalem, there’s something for everyone.   Jerusalem is playing at the Music Box Theatre through July 24th.  Click here for more information. (photo via)

Mark Rylance might be the greatest actor to grace a Broadway stage in a long time.  It appears as though he can handle any kind of material and play a plethora of roles with ease.  In the fall he was the sloppy, socially and conversationally awkward Valere in La Bete.  This spring he is Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron the modern day English Pied Piper with a substance problem in Jerusalem.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s nominated for both roles at the Tony Awards this year.  Before seeing Jerusalem, I would highly recommend reading the directors note in the Playbill as well as reading up on the myth of the Pied Piper.  I unfortunately did neither though I still managed to enjoy it.

Jerusalem, inspired by the famous English song of the same name about finding a Utopian civilization, is about Johnny and his, for lack of a better term, mignons who are assorted teenagers and slightly older adolescents from the nearby town.  

The entire cast is fantastic, though of course all pale in the shadow of Rylance.  The set is a simple trailer, and some trash scattered on fake grass and there isn’t much lighting to speak of.  Dare I say that the fantastically talented John Gallagher Jr. has been pigeon-holed in his career?  He played one of the kids from town, Lee, who is leaving soon to go to Australia to “see what else is out there,” and the like.  Does that sound like any of the other characters he’s played?  I’m pretty sure it’s like all of them, but he still does a fantastic job and though it took me a bit to get used to his accent, once it settled it it was quite good.  A personal favorite of mine was MacKenzie Crook who played Ginger, another one of the kids although he’s slightly older than the rest.  He was funny and endearing and I felt bad for him more than once.  Aiden Eyrick, who plays Johnny’s son Marky, is probably the most underused character on Broadway, and quite an expensive prop he is.  He adds a bit to Johnny’s character and we learn what he’s left behind to live in the woods, but nothing much would have been lost if we never saw his son.  Looking at it as a producer, it’s a really, really expensive role (two kids to split the role, child wrangler, tutor, etc).  He is certainly cute though.

Jerusalem is filled with comedic moments and a few sad ones, there’s even some blood too.  In Jerusalem, there’s something for everyone.  

Jerusalem is playing at the Music Box Theatre through July 24th.  Click here for more information.

(photo via)

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  1. thatgirlallison posted this
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