Jerusalem

Jez Butterworth's boisterous pastoral tragicomedy is a great play on its own merits, but it also provides a bravura role for the amazing Mark Rylance. Strutting, indulging in myriad vices and spinning one tall tale after another, Rylance's Johnny "Rooster" Byron is the soul of the forest where he squats, defying all authority and corrupting all youth in his path. Anyone who cares about thrilling, world-class drama must make the pilgrimage.—David Cote