MARK Rylance, who starred as the central character, Johnny "Rooster" Byron in the original production of Jerusalem, described the play as "satisfying a hunger in audiences for wildness and defiance. There's a feeling that they've eaten something they haven't eaten for years - something they'd forgotten, that's really needed for their health".

That "something" could be one reason why the play was so popular in both London and New York. It's set on St George's Day in Wiltshire, where Rooster Byron is defying housing officials who threaten to evict him from his ramshackle caravan in the woods – his own piece of England. His assertion of his rights struck a chord with audiences on both sides of the Atlantic – and it's very funny.

The title does of course evoke Blake's poem. Johnny himself embodies all kinds of legendary figures such as Puck, Falstaff, the Green Man and St George. Certainly, for Nottingham audiences there are hints of rebels such as Lord Byron and especially Robin Hood.

There are compelling contradictions in the character of Rooster. His energy, charisma and defiance are revealed in his accounts of meetings with the giants who built Stonehenge, his daredevil exploits as a kind of Evel Kneivel hero, and his relationship with the followers who gather for parties round his decrepit caravan. He's appealing to audiences because of his outrageous confidence in himself and in the myth of being English, conveyed through outrageous ,rousing stories, which might or might not be true.

This fascination, however, is ambivalent as Rooster's reputation is now no longer heroic, but notorious as a dispenser of drink and drugs, barred from every pub in the village. The debauchery is not glorified – there is a realism in the staging and the strong language which is also a part of an England we recognise today.

The overriding impression though, which has made this play "unmissable", is one of uproarious life-enhancing energy and defiance, conveyed in language which is wild, exuberant, earthy and lyrical. It's a vivid incarnation of life in England past and present, from drugs, discos and local councillors to outlaws, dragons and Robin Hood.

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