Under Milk Wood Review: Dark Fairytales Swirl Around Dylan Thomas's Evergreen Village
At Theatr Clwyd in Mold, director Kate Wasserberg brings a fresh perspective to Dylan Thomas's iconic 'play for voices', emphasising fantasy and supernatural elements in an entertaining and inclusive production. As Flintshire's landscape glimmers through the theatre's panoramic windows, the staging offers a regional authenticity that enriches this Welsh classic.
A Sound Play Transformed into Visual Spectacle
Originally premiered on radio in 1954, Under Milk Wood has evolved into a theatrical staple, akin to Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons. While Thomas relied on listeners' imaginations to conjure characters like the music-obsessed Organ Morgan and the beloved Polly Garter, Wasserberg's direction takes a bold visual approach. Her production feels influenced by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods, presenting the play as a sequence of plaited legends and fairytales, featuring drowned sailors and longing lovers.
Dark Undercurrents in Llareggub
Often dismissed as whimsical nostalgia, Thomas's fictional village of Llareggub harbours a dark reality. As Voice One, the main narrator, observes, 'There's a nasty lot lives here when you come to think.' This includes a would-be wife-killer, multiple sex offenders, and several deceased residents. Wasserberg's staging highlights these grim aspects, drawing parallels with Thornton Wilder's Our Town, currently on tour with Michael Sheen's Welsh National Theatre, suggesting an intriguing unofficial double bill.
Inclusive Innovations and Creative Reorganisation
Wasserberg reorganises elements of Under Milk Wood to address later longueurs caused by Thomas's declining health, redistributing Voice One's monologue among 11 actors, each portraying multiple roles. The production by Craidd, a Welsh collective including Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent artists, introduces polyphonic interpretations, notably for Polly Garter, and incorporates British Sign Language. Text is projected on a cyclorama, enhancing appreciation of Thomas's wordplay, though the use of the Welsh form Llaregyb obscures the reversed swear word in Llareggub for English audiences.
Standout Performances and Musical Score
Macsen McKay delivers an entertaining performance as undertaker Evans the Death and the uxoricidal Mr Pugh among five named parts, adding a playful touch as the boy who barks like a dog. Caroline Parker brings individual variety to five wives and mothers, while Seán Carlsen pairs a saintly Rev Eli Jenkins with a sin-hunting PC Atilla Rees. Georgia Griffiths' portrayal of Polly reveals the melancholy beneath her pursuit of good times, and she tinglingly sings two songs in Oliver Vibrans's score, which would delight Organ Morgan. The production runs at Theatr Clwyd, Mold, from 21 March to 4 April.
