Jerusalem: whatever happened to sensible prices?

By Robert Gore-Langton 447PM GMT sixteen March 2010

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Mesmerising Mark Rylance as "Rooster" Byron in Jerusalem at the Apollo Theatre Photo ALASTAIR MUIR

Occasionally, there crops up in the West End a show you cant means to miss.

Then there are those you cant means to see. Jerusalem, a stream West End prodigy following the send from the Royal Court, manages to be both. Hugely and properly praised and majority created about, it is the majority interesting new fool around in years and the entertainment eventuality of the century so far.

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Its about a hung-over and not unlovable nomadic who lives in a train in a timber in Wiltshire where he deals drug to the internal children. This outlandish condemned to hell is called "Rooster" Byron and hes played by that captivating actor, Mark Rylance. His is a gorgeous performance, full of interest and subtlety, that comes around once in a generation.

Set in the Swindon hinterlands, it brilliantly depicts Englands off-its-face semi-rural immature underclass. It does so with an free comic hold and a strange, vivid profundity. Despite being set inside of the grave being of complicated Britain, the roots go underneath the contemptible encampment beer gymnasium car parks it evokes and low in to the dirt of English mythology.

As West End events go, I suppose Jez Butterworths fool around (which ends, after a small twelve weeks, on Apr 24) bears some-more aged for perfect must-see worth with John Osbornes The Entertainer, that half a century ago found in the description of a seedy, washed-up song gymnasium stand up comic (played by Laurence Olivier) a somewhat clunking embellishment for broke British illusions of power.

Jerusalem is the improved piece. At last, I thought whilst examination it, here is a fool around that my 19-year-old son and his cronies would adore. It competence even modify him to theatre, that he regards by sour experience as an overrated diversion for people similar to me and alternative various "losers". So I paid for tickets for him and a chum. The repairs for a span of seats at the behind of the stalls? �104. As they contend in the West Country, youre havin a laugh. In the end, my son desired the show. Really desired it.

But he wouldnt suggest it to his friends. Even the seats in the gods cost around �20 full-price not a total any one he knows is expected to bombard out. Jerusalem is at slightest a grand dusk and the cost reflects the riches. But sheet prices for stalls seats at vital theatres right away continually strike �50 or �60 a throw. Tickets for an additional Royal Court transfer, Enron, are a towering �80 a cost some-more customarily compared with musicals. Yet whilst it is good that such successes can sell tickets for such prices, they rught away close the hits off from the normal audience. Is there no solution? Why doesnt Amazon or Tesco sell entertainment tickets people can afford? What has happened to a realistically labelled night out?

There are, of course, inestimable initiatives the National Theatres ongoing �10 sheet intrigue (sponsored by Travelex) is a good thing. The Arts Council intrigue for the under-25s, A Night Less Ordinary, has the own website and is charity thousands of free tickets opposite 200 venues.

I do realize blurb entertainment producers arent using charities. They would disagree the marketplace will bear what the marketplace will bear. Theyve got their investors to think about. Critics similar to me have no thought how formidable it is to sell tickets for anything. I honestly admire any ardent writer who puts on a new fool around such as Jerusalem. But never has any era been so alienated from the entertainment as todays "young adults".

The good irony is that these are sparkling days for the theatre. Its about the usually thing left that Britain still does improved than the Chinese. So heres my fantasy interest to the extraordinary Mr Rylance. Cancel destiny plans. Cancel the Broadway send of Jerusalem (they wouldnt assimilate it). Tour for 6 months in England. Evangelise the show. Hand out free cider. Insist theatres assign �5 tops for the initial five rows and take it over the M25 where the fool around found the inspiration. Once word gets out that the the sort of eventuality the immature should not be authorised to see, itll take off and have a packet.

Somethings got to shift in the West End. Audiences over stream well-heeled congregation and a small rope of over-mortgaged entertainment addicts are finite. For the future, entertainment needs to favour the young.

"Jerusalem" is using at the Apollo Theatre, London W1 (0844 579 1971) until Apr twenty-four