There are few plays quite like Under Milk Wood. Dylan Thomas’ portrait of a small Welsh seaside town is at once funny, bawdy, tender and deeply human, taking us into the dreams, desires and everyday lives of its inhabitants as they sleep, wake and go about their day. Llareggub may be fictional, but the people who inhabit it feel instantly recognisable – full of hopes, frustrations, secrets, eccentricities and the wonderfully ordinary business of being alive. Bringing all of this vividly to the stage is an extraordinary challenge, made even more remarkable here by the fact that every one of the play’s 69 characters is played by a single actor.
The extraordinary thing about Guy Masterson’s performance is that there is never any sense that we are watching an actor simply moving between characters. Through voice, movement, expression and the smallest physical gestures, the stage gradually fills with people. One moment he is one resident of Llareggub and the next he has transformed into another, creating the impression of an entire community living and breathing around us.
It is a huge physical undertaking (including an energetic skipping segment!), but it is the language that ultimately carries the performance. Thomas’ words are famously musical and wonderfully playful, and Masterson allows them to tumble, roll and dance across the theatre. There is bawdiness and sadness, tenderness and absurdity, desire and loneliness, often sitting side by side. The result is something that feels less like watching a play and more like being invited into the collective imagination of an entire town.
Adding another layer to the production is the soundscape by Matt Clifford, which gives the performance an atmospheric quality without overwhelming Thomas’ extraordinary words. The sounds of children’s laughter and swirling herring gulls along with music help create the sense of place, allowing the audience to imagine the sea, the streets and the homes of Llareggub as Masterson moves between its inhabitants.
Having previously brought A Christmas Carol and Animal Farm to Bath, Masterson has become something of a favourite with Theatre Royal audiences, and it is easy to see why. His approach is theatrical without being showy, demanding without ever feeling like a demonstration of technique. The skill is extraordinary, but it is always in service of the story.
For anyone who has studied Under Milk Wood, this is an opportunity to hear Thomas’ words brought vividly back to life. For anyone encountering it for the first time, it is a wonderfully unusual introduction to one of the great pieces of 20th-century writing. Either way, watching one man create an entire town is an experience that is difficult to forget.
Guy Masterson’s Under Milk Wood is a celebration of the sheer possibilities of live theatre – one performer, a remarkable text and an audience willing to surrender itself to the imagination. You can get your tickets here.
