Review: Wilbury Theatre Group's Meandering JERUSALEM

Wilbury Theatre Group closes out their 2015-2016 season with JERUSALEM by Jez Butterworth. It's a skillfully directed production with a few standout performances, but unfortunately is bogged down by an overlong story that doesn't deliver much tension until after the two hour mark and suffers from some clumsy accent work. It's an ambitious project for the Wilbury group to take on, and the sets and costumes are absolutely perfect for the story, unfortunately the source material is the main problem and its cliche' plot and incredibly slow pacing just never really deliver.

David Tessier plays Johnny "Rooster" Byron, and aging drug dealer who lives in a camper in the woods and who is perpetually surrounded by a pack of teenage partiers who hang on his every word. He's also in the process of being evicted by the council estate due to the fact that there's a new development moving into his area, and his home and frequent loud parties are a nuisance to the new neighbors. Rooster is a bit of a Pied-Piper in that the youth flock to him, and over the course of the play, you get the impression that there has been an endless cycle of teens who move on and are then replaced with a fresh crop every couple years. He's also a bit of a father figure to them, even though being an actual father to his real son is something he can't quite handle. Tessier plays this part perfectly. He's charismatic and fun to watch, but with a bit of an edge that one can imagine teens would find intriguing. This is a character who could easily be played over the top and cartoonish, but Tessier manages to walk the line and deliver a compelling and noteworthy performance.

Naturally, since he has been existing this way for many years without much change, something has to come to a head. On St. George's Day, the local town has its annual fair, and on the next morning at 9am, Rooster is going to be forced to move. The whole of the action takes place in a single day, but unfortunately that day feels interminable. This is an interesting story, and Rooster is a complex character, but what is genuinely compelling gets bogged down in minutiae which sucks away most of the drama. When things finally do get tense and the stakes are at their highest, the audience is less invested, and it feels like a last-minute attempt to deliver some feeling before the play ends.

It's interesting to ponder how part of the issues with this production could be due to American actors and American audiences (for the most part) watching a very British play. Certainly many of the cultural tropes and jokes are accessible and somewhat familiar to the audience, but how much of the more subtle humor or tension is lost when the audience is shown a semi-familiar world that they haven't experiences firsthand? Good art should be able to translate for us without us even realizing, but it seems like there are just some things that don't come across as readily as the should. Even the title is likely supposed to evoke familiar feelings of a much-loved song that likely most of the viewing audience have only heard once or twice.

Other notable performances include Jonathan Fisher as Davey. Fisher has proven in past productions that he is a master of accents, and his smart-alecky accordion-playing character re-injects energy into scenes that become over-long. John Michael Richardson is also delightful as the Professor. Dressed as a Colonel Sanders or a Southern gentleman, he hangs out with these teenage misfits and never seems out of place. He doesn't say too much, but what he does add is a pleasure to watch.

Jerusalem is a lot to take on, and Wilbury made an excellent effort. Even when a play as a whole doesn't quite work, it's still heartening to see some outstanding performances. Not all gambles pay off 100%, but it's still exciting to try.

Jerusalem runs May 19-June 4 at The Wilbury Theatre Group, 393 Broad Street, Providence RI. Tickets are $15-$25. Call 401-400-7100 or order online at thewilburygroup.org/jerusalem

Photo: Valerie Westgate, David Tessier, and Jonathan Fisher. Photo by Nile Hawver

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