The Theatre and Films of Jez Butterworth

David Ian Rabey

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Jez Butterworth is the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful new British dramatist of the 21st century: his acclaimed play Jerusalem has had extended runs in the West End and on Broadway. This book is the first to examine Butterworth's writings for stage and film and to identify how and why his work appeals so widely and profoundly. It examines the way that he weaves suspenseful stories of eccentric outsiders, whose adventures echo widespread contemporary social anxieties, and involve surprising expressions of both violence and generosity.

This book reveals how Butterworth unearths the strange forms of wildness and defiance lurking in the depths and at the edges of England: where unpredictable outbursts of humour highlight the intensity of life, and characters discover links between their haunting past and the uncertainties of the present, to create a meaningful future. Supplemented by essays from James D. Balestrieri and Elisabeth Angel-Perez, this is a clear and detailed source of reference for a new generation of theatre audiences, practitioners and directors who wish to explore the work of this seminal dramatist.

Book Details

Publisher: Methuen Drama
Publish Date: Apr 23rd, 2015
Pages: 240
Language: English
Edition: undefined - undefined
Dimensions: 8.40in - 5.40in - 0.70in - 0.75lb
EAN: 9781408183601
Categories: • Drama• General

About the Author

Lonergan, Patrick: - Patrick Lonergan is Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at University of Galway, Ireland.

Jr.: - Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr. is professor of theatre arts at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, USA, the author and editor of ten books including The Empire Triumphant: Race, Religion and Rebellion in the Star Wars Films, and a contributor to numerous volumes on sci-fi, pop culture and religion, including essays on Godzilla, Star Wars, and Battlestar Galactica. His areas of expertise include Japanese theatre, African theatre, Shakespeare, Greek tragedy, stage combat and comedy. He is co-editor with Patrick Lonergan of Bloomsbury Methuen Drama's Critical Companions series.

Rabey, David Ian: - David Ian Rabey is Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at Aberystwyth University, UK. His writing includes Howard Barker: Politics and Desire (1989, 2009), Howard Barker: Ecstasy and Death (2009), English Drama Since 1940 (2003), David Rudkin: Sacred Disobedience (1997); as co-editor, Theatre of Catastrophe (with Karoline Gritzner, 2006) and Howard Barker's Art of Theatre (with Sarah Goldingay, 2012).

Praise for this book

"Rabey offers a series of illuminating and thought-provoking cultural and historical contextualisations - plunging into past and contemporary understandings of 'Englishness' from the outset, for instance - and uses this as the basis for an analysis of the work that is vigorous and always personally engaged, but also open-ended and questioning ... this work has the conscious intent of creating a real and ongoing debate. An indispensable volume." --Studies in Theatre and Performance

"[Rabey] opens the door through which further philosophical enquiries into the work of one of this century's most dominant and enigmatic theatrical figures may emerge, and does a great service to current theatre scholarship." --New Theatre Quarterly

"Students of theatre and drama will appreciate Rabey's inclusive, well-informed and down-to-earth approach ... Due to its clear structure and accessible approach, the book offers a valuable introduction to Butterworth's plays." --Journal of Contemporary Drama in English

"David Ian Rabey's The Theatre and Films of Jez Butterworth is the first study devoted to a playwright whose work first appeared on the main stage at the Royal Court in 1995 with Mojo. The book contextualizes Butterworth's work and his influences, offering an assessment of his place within contemporary British drama." --The Year's Work in English Studies