Dylan Thomas’s loving evocation of life in the fictional seaside town of Llareggub (‘bugger all’ spelled backwards) was originally commissioned as a BBC radio drama in 1952 and is a challenge few amateur groups would – and maybe should – attempt.
It is richly endowed with the Welsh bard’s poetic vocabulary, has no plot, is populated with a bewildering cast of characters – 64 in all – and is unforgiving for thespians who can’t remember their lines.
So it’s to The Other Theatre Company’s credit that husband-and-wife team Harry and Sophia Kennedy who produced, directed and acted chose to stage the play as their Spring offering in the somewhat restricted confines of Plumley Village Hall.
The cast of 14, the largest assembled by the company for a non-musical production, benefited from an infusion of some talented young actors, particularly Harry Sanger and sweetly tuneful Ceri Clarke who helped seasoned campaigners address the task of playing multiple characters with vigour and enthusiasm.
Singled out for special mention must be a be-whiskered Roger Barlow who delivered a tour-de-force as Captain Cat, the blind sea captain, and Harry Kennedy, the omniscient narrator, who showed a commendable grasp of Dylan Thomas’s prosaic language.
Ian Sherwood excelled in giving the production musical buoyancy and wife and cast member Sarah again demonstrated her strong singing talents. Audience members not familiar with Under Milk Wood would have had their enjoyment enhanced by a short briefing on the play before it started but overall a worthy effort.
Review by Trevor Bates
For more information about this production, please see our Past Productions page for Under Milk Wood.