Jerusalem

Jerusalem, written by Jez Butterworth and premiering in 2009, is widely considered one of the best British plays of the 21st century. It is a chaotic, tragicomic masterpiece that explores English identity, the loss of tradition, and the clash between personal freedom and modern bureaucracy. 

The play takes place in the woods of Flintock, a fictional town in Wiltshire, on St. George’s Day. The story follows Johnny "Rooster" Byron, a modern-day, drug-dealing, hard-drinking, and eccentric figure who lives in a rundown caravan. He is a "lord of misrule" and a folk hero to local misfits. 

Facing his impending eviction by the local council, which wants to turn his woodland home into a new housing estate, Johnny and his companions must finally confront Modern Britain and their place in it. 

Johnny Byron is a "story-spinner," an outcast, and a "chaotic, poetic force". He is often described as a Falstaffian figure, mixing charm with toxic masculinity. Played by Mark Rylance, at The Royal Court when it first premiered, Rylance describes the play as ‘epic state-of-the-nation.’