Hasland Theatre Company’s Jerusalem – 18 May 2026, Chesterfield Playhouse
Review by Nicola Bourne.
Jez Butterworth is known for his sharp social commentaries and for incorporating dark humour, mythology, strong language and chaos. This play, Jerusalem, is no different and is already being called a modern classic! It is, for sure, a gritty and sometimes violent tale, that highlights the social tensions and clashes, seen predominantly through the eyes of Johnny “Rooster” Byron, a deadbeat dad and waster. A radical, unpredictable, non-conformist, living on the edges of society, he is both a collector of lowlife followers and an insightful, almost mythical individual, who, despite his drug taking and alternative lifestyle, does garner some kind of sympathy from the audience!
Focusing on St George’s Day, Rooster is pursued by several individuals, as the local village holds its annual county fair. The local council is seeking to evict him from his caravan in the woods, Troy Whitworth is looking to give him a good thrashing, his ex-girlfriend is pressuring him to accompany his young son to the fair and his parasite groupies are eager to relieve him of his stash of drugs and alcohol!
With successful runs in the West End and on Broadway, it’s a raw and punchy production that Hasland Theatre Company has taken on for the second time in ten years … and I’m sure they wouldn’t have done that, unless it had proved popular with the audience the first time around! Directed by Nicky Beards, it commemorates Gary Keeling, Artistic Director at the time of Hasland’s first production of Jerusalem, with funds being raised in his memory, for Ashgate Hospice.
Even before the play began, actors were already fully in character, inviting the audience to take a punt on the Spin the Wheel stall at the county fair. Such attention to detail was a nice touch, along with the bespoke posters on the wall, advertising the fete’s highlights to us audience members.
After Phaedra (Grace Biggs) opens with the hymn, Jerusalem, the set is revealed; an out of control rave at Rooster’s woodland home, complete with shabby caravan, grubby sofa, surrounding trees and ample evidence of drink and drugs. Heather Davies’ and Nicky Beards’ set design perfectly captures the squalor and solitude, in which Rooster is living, and again, there is so much attention paid to the smallest of details. While the fete could often be heard over the tannoy system in the background, this permanent woodland set is the scene of the entire play’s action and, as such, eliminates the need for any awkward or cumbersome set changes.
This production features a talented cast, fronted by Steve Cowley, an exceptional actor, who captures Rooster Byron’s eccentricity and vulnerability so well. Absolutely committed to his character throughout, his physicality and stage presence are tremendous, maintaining his sense of defiance and arrogance, by way of his puffed out “rooster” chest, that likely gave him his nickname. Strutting around, despite his obvious, well performed limp, his morning “drunk dancing” is especially funny and his fantastical tales are endearing. Providing much of the show’s dialogue, Steve delivers each line so professionally and I couldn’t help being impressed at the work that must go into remembering all those lines! Anyway, I just loved Rooster, despite all his baloney, disgusting habits and obvious flaws! I’m not sure why, or, indeed, if I should even be admitting that!
Stu Rooker and Robert Goodall, as Ginger and Davey, were great in their respective roles. Stu’s performance was professional, energetic and full of confidence and I noticed how well he remained in character, even when not the main focus. His wannabe, inner DJ was adorable and he put 100% into his character’s movements. Robert also had the same confidence and charisma and, despite showing a little more selfishness in his character, he was still a likeable loser. Having never seen these two actors before, I would love to see more of them!
Concentrating on just a few of the other characters though, Ed Telfer, as Lee, and Heather Davies and Annie Phillips, as Tanya and Pea, complete the line-up of teenagers who hang out at Rooster’s caravan. These actors always play their parts well, offering good southwest accents and a touch of fun in this production. It’s obvious how Heather, in particular, oozes confidence and seems to enjoy her roles so much! The Professor (Andrew Heyna) and Wesley (Neil Beards), both do silliness well and always shine in their comedy roles, with Neil’s reluctant morris dancing and costume encouraging a few laughs this time! Well done too to Coralie Rooker for playing Rooster’s young son, Marky!
This show, although a little longer than most, has a momentum that easily carries it forward. The finale is poignant and mystical and there are so many funny lines throughout and so many times the audience laughed or gasped! Choreography is particularly effective in the fight scene and, without giving away spoilers, I did jump at one point, as did the people in front of me! The sound effects are very convincing! This is one of those productions where it’s easy to remember that there’s a behind the scenes crew, putting in lots of work … and with that in mind, hats off to whoever created Rooster’s arm tattoo!
An adult themed show, for sure, Jerusalem is now my new favourite production, by Hasland Theatre Company. It works so well on a smaller stage and has opened me up to the possibility of seeing more of Jez Butterworth’s work. Compliments come so easy for this one! I loved, loved, loved last night’s show and I’m confident it will be well-liked by future audiences too. Well done to the entire company and once again, wow to Steve Cowley and his band of likeable degenerates!!!
