1995–2008: Early work Butterworth's play
Mojo, which premiered at the
Royal Court Theatre in 1995, won the 1996
Laurence Olivier,
Evening Standard, The Writer's Guild, and the
George Devine awards, and the Critic's Circle Award. Butterworth also wrote and directed the film adaptation of
Mojo (1997). The film featured
Harold Pinter. In 1999, Butterworth was one of the recipients of the V
Europe Prize Theatrical Realities awarded to the
Royal Court Theatre (with
Sarah Kane,
Mark Ravenhill,
Conor McPherson,
Martin McDonagh). Butterworth co-wrote and directed the film
Birthday Girl (2001), which was produced by his brother Steve and starred
Nicole Kidman. Butterworth received positive reviews of his play
The Night Heron (2002), which premiered in the West End at the
Royal Court Theatre.
The Guardian reviewer wrote: "Can a play be simultaneously very good and very bad? I believe so."
The Winterling also ran at the Royal Court in 2006. The
British Theatre Guide wrote: "
The Winterling can be a difficult play but contains rich veins of comedy." His play
Parlour Song opened in New York to "rave reviews" at the
Atlantic Theatre Company,
Off-Broadway in March 2008. The play then played at the
Almeida Theatre, with Michael Billington of
The Guardian writing, "After the more erratic
The Night Heron and
The Winterling, Butterworth shows that he has a compassionate understanding of the quiet desperation that stalks Britain's new estates. He exactly captures the mundane madness beneath the bland routine of affluence."
2008–2016: Breakthrough with Jerusalem Butterworth's fourth play for the Royal Court Theatre was
Jerusalem, which premiered in July 2009 to positive reviews. Described as a "contemporary vision of life in [England's] green and pleasant land",
Jerusalem was the second important Butterworth production in London in 2009. The production starred
Mark Rylance as Johnny Byron, and featured
Mackenzie Crook as Ginger in a supporting role. It was a sell-out at the Royal Court, won the
Evening Standard Theatre Award and
Critics' Circle Theatre Award for the best play of 2009 and, with the same cast, transferred to the
Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in January 2010.
Jerusalem opened on Broadway in April 2011, with many of the original UK cast. It returned to London later that year, again playing at the Apollo. In January 2014
Jerusalem opened at the
San Francisco Playhouse, where it also received rave reviews.
Jerusalem was nominated for the 2011
Tony Award, Play. Mark Rylance won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Play. On 26 October 2012, Butterworth's play
The River opened at the Royal Court Theatre, starring
Dominic West,
Laura Donnelly, and
Miranda Raison, with an appearance by
Gillian Saker.
The River had its US premiere on Broadway at the
Circle in the Square Theatre in a limited engagement in October 2014, starring
Hugh Jackman and directed by
Ian Rickson. Reception was positive, with London critics finding the work "lyrical", "beautifully written" and "suffuse[d] with wonder and beauty".
2017–2019: The Ferryman and acclaim Butterworth's play
The Ferryman opened at the
Royal Court Theatre in April 2017. Directed by
Sam Mendes, it became the fastest-selling play in the Royal Court Theatre's history. Set in rural South Armagh in 1981 and focusing on the events surrounding the deaths of the
IRA hunger strikers, it received 15 five-star reviews, including all the major UK papers.
The Irish Times said, "Although Butterworth is English,
The Ferryman feels like a thoroughly Irish play, not only because there is not a single false note in the dialogue." The
Huffington Post said that it was "one of the two or three greatest plays of the decade". But,
The Guardians Sean O'Hagan wrote, "I'm from Northern Ireland and it doesn't ring true", and it was "so close to a cultural stereotype as to be offensive". Two weeks later
The Irish Times printed an opinion piece by actor Gerard Lee (of
Father Ted) entitled "In defence of
The Ferryman". He challenged negative comments, calling the play "layered and powerful".
The Ferryman won the 2017
Evening Standard Award for Best Play, the 2018
Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play, the 2018
WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play, and the 2018
Olivier Award for Best New Play. It has played for over 350 performances at the Gielgud Theatre and transferred to Broadway in October 2018. The play won the 2019
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and Tony Award for Best Play. In 2019, he wrote the screenplay for the sports drama
Ford v. Ferrari directed by
James Mangold starring
Christian Bale and
Matt Damon. The film received positive reviews.
2020–present In 2023, he wrote the fifth instalment of the
Indiana Jones franchise,
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny reunited with director
James Mangold. The film was not a commercial success and received mixed reviews. David Rooney of
The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "This is a big, bombastic movie that goes through the motions but never finds much joy in the process" adding that the screenplay "feel[s] of something written by committee". == Influences ==