Under Milk Wood |
Written by Dylan Thomas. Directed by Ruth Crowder
Performed on Thursday 12 March to Saturday 14 March at Pentyrch Village Hall
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Summary Under Milk Wood is Dylan Thomas’ amusing and poetic play telling the dreams and innermost thoughts of the inhabitants of an imaginary small Welsh fishing village, Llareggub. An all-seeing narrator invites the audience to listen to these dreams, covering the events of a day in the life of its residents, and introduce and describe the village and its many quirky inhabitants in great detail, from blind Captain Cat who is reliving his seafaring times to the town loving priest Reverend Jenkins, guiding us through their daily lives from before sunrise through a 24 hour cycle. Later, the town wakes and, aware now of how their feelings affect whatever they do, we watch them go about their daily business. NODA Review by Frank Wooles Dylan Thomas’s acclaimed work was a popular choice with audiences at the Pentyrch Village Hall in March. Originally commissioned by the BBC and later adapted to the stage, Under Milk Wood reveals, through the dreams and voices of the inhabitants, a day in the life of a small Welsh fishing village, Llareggub, from just before dawn to early evening. It is a complex work and with a cast of eighteen playing over sixty characters it would be invidious of me (nor would space allow) to mention individual players, with the exception of the pivotal narrators, beautifully played with rich melodious flow and assurance by George Atkins (as 1st voice) and Sian Davies (as 2nd voice). Sufficient to say that the able cast filled the stage with well-defined and colourful characters who brought to life the humour, pathos and poetry in Dylan Thomas’s acerbic observation of Welsh life in a small community, and an era which has now passed. In a basic, simple staging, Ruth Crowder’s production, blessed with a fine all-round cast, had pace and imagination and found the many nuances and the richness of the prose to ensure a complete and satisfying return to Under milk Wood. Cast George Atkins 1st Voice Sian Davies 2nd Voice Dai Williams Captain Cat, Utah Watkins Joe Morris Ocky Milkman, Nogood Boyo Simon Jones Evans the Death, Organ Morgan, Mr Pugh, Sinbad Sailors Morgan Rees P.C.Atilla Rees, Piano Player Matthew Brettle Jack Black, Lord Cut-Glass Richard Crowder Child Dicky Martyn Lench Mr Pritchard, Willy Nilly, Cherry Owen Richard Jones Mog Edwards, Mr Ogmore, Butcher Beynon Fleur Greening Miss Price, Lily Smalls, Polly Garter Fiona Jackson Mrs Watkins, Guide, Mrs Beynon, Bessie Bighead Phil Davies Mr Waldo, Rev Eli Jenkins, Dai Bread Sue O’Halloran Mrs Ogmore Pritchard, Mrs Organ Morgan, Mrs Dai Bread Helen Jones Mrs Willy Nilly, Mrs Pugh Carla Gambarini Gossamer Beynon, Mae Rose Cottage Helen Page Mrs Dai Bread Two, Mrs Cherry Owen, Rosie Probert Brenda Slaughter Mary Ann Sailors Production Team Producer/Director Ruth Crowder Assistant Director Brenda Slaughter Stage Manager Wayne Brewer Set Design and Construction Wayne Brewer Musical Arrangements Morgan Rees Lighting & Sound Wayne Brewer, Rhys Stapleton Wardrobe Bob Petersen, Sue Gambarini Properties Jenna Claridge, Ann Morris Business Manager Richard Jones Marketing Richard Jones, Simon Jones, Helen Page House Manager Steve Williams Front of House Members and Friends of Hilltop Box Office Brenda Slaughter, Laura Hallas Photography Todd Slaughter
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