Under Milk Wood

A statue in Swansea's Maritime Quarter representing Thomas's fictional Captain Cat

Under Milk Wood is a 1954 play for radio by Dylan Thomas, later adapted for the stage. A film version, Under Milk Wood directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972. Thomas's poetic writing and an unforgettable cast of characters makes this a landmark play in the history of both radio and theatre.

An all-seeing narrator invites the audience to listen to the dreams and innermost thoughts of the inhabitants of an imaginary small Welsh village, Llareggub.

They include Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard, relentlessly bossing her two dead husbands; Captain Cat, reliving his seafaring times; the two Mrs Dai Breads; Organ Morgan, obsessed with his music; and Polly Garter, pining for her dead lover. Later, the town wakes and, aware now of how their feelings affect whatever they do, we watch them go about their daily business.

Origins and development

When Dylan Thomas was staying in New Quay one winter, he went out early one morning into the still sleeping town and verses came to his mind about the inhabitants. He wrote the account of this as Quite Early One Morning (recorded for BBC Wales 14 December 1944 and broadcast 31 August 1945). He continued to work on the idea for eight years.

In Quite Early One Morning there are numerous ideas and characters which would come to fruition in Under Milk Wood. For instance, the short story contains a 28-line poem of which this is the fourth verse; the name and the final line reappear in Under Milk Wood.

Open the curtains, light the fire, what are servants for?

I am Mrs Ogmore Pritchard and I want another snooze.

Dust the china, feed the canary, sweep the drawing-room floor;

And before you let the sun in, mind he wipes his shoes.

He wrote to his wife, Caitlin, (on about 23 May 1953, from the USA, on notepaper headed The Poetry Center), towards the end of a long letter ^[1]: 'I've finished that infernally eternally unfinished 'Play' & have done it in New York with actors.'

He read a part of the script in public for the first time in Cambridge, Massachusetts at The Poetry Centre. Soon after, with others, he sound-recorded a performance at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan.

On 9 September 1953, he delivered a full draft of Under Milk Wood to the BBC as he left for a tour of America, intending to revise the manuscript on his return.

Dylan Thomas is reported to have commented that Under Milk Wood was developed in response to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, as a way of reasserting the evidence of beauty in the world^{[citation needed]}.

Llareggub

A boat bearing the name of the fictional location of Under Milk Wood

The fictional name Llareggub resembles other Welsh place names, which often begin with Llan- (meaning church), but is actually derived from reversing the phrase "bugger all". In early published editions of the play it was often rendered (contrary to Thomas's wishes) as Llaregyb or similar. If it were to be pronounced in Welsh it would be [ɬaˈreɡːɪb]

The geographical inspiration for the town has generated intense debate. Laugharne was the village where Dylan Thomas lived on and off from the thirties. This town was probably the inspiration for the people of Llareggub, although the topography of the town is thought to be based on New Quay, Ceredigion where Dylan was staying when he started writing the play seriously in 1944. Both towns use the Under Milk Wood connection to attract tourists, hence the rivalry.

Dylan drew a sketch map of the fictional town. This is held at the National Library of Wales and can be viewed online.^[2]

The name Llareggub was first used by Dylan Thomas in a short story The Burning Baby^[3] published in 1936. ('Death took hold of his sister's legs as she walked through the calf-high heather up the hill... She was to him as ugly as the sowfaced woman Llareggub who had taught him the terrors of the flesh.')

In the play the Rev Eli Jenkins writes a poem which describes Llareggub Hill and its "mystic tumulus". This was based on a lyrical description of Twmbarlwm's "mystic tumulus" in Monmouthshire that Thomas "lifted" from Arthur Machen's autobiography Far Off Things (1922) ^[4]

The town's name is the inspiration for the country of Llamedos (sod 'em all) in Terry Pratchett's Discworld setting. In the setting, Llamedos is a parody of Wales.

Performances

The play had its first reading on stage on 14 May 1953, in New York, at the The Poetry Center. ^[5]

The BBC first broadcast Under Milk Wood, a new 'Play for Voices', on the Third Programme on 25 January 1954 (two months after Dylan's death), although several sections were omitted. The play was recorded with a distinguished, all-Welsh cast and produced by Douglas Cleverdon.The recording featured Richard Burton as 'First Voice'. A repeat was broadcast two days later. Daniel Jones, the Welsh composer who was a lifelong friend of Thomas's (and his literary trustee), wrote the music; this was recorded separately, on 15 and 16 January, at Laugharne School.

In 1963, the original radio producer, Douglas Cleverdon, revisited the project and recorded the complete play, which was broadcast on 11th October 1963.

The 1972 film, with Richard Burton reprising his role, also featured Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O'Toole, Glynis Johns, Vivien Merchant, and other well-known actors, and Ryan Davies as the 'Second Voice'. The film was shot on location in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire and at Lee International Film Studios, London.

In 1988, George Martin produced an album version, featuring more of the dialogue being sung, with music by Martin and Elton John, among others; Anthony Hopkins played the part of 'First Voice'. This was subsequently mounted as a one-off stage performance (as An Evening with Dylan Thomas), for The Prince's Trust and in the presence of HRH Prince Charles, to commemorate the opening in December 1992 of the new AIR Studios at Lyndhurst Hall. It was again produced by Martin and directed by Hopkins, who once again played 'First Voice'. Other roles were played by Harry Secombe, Freddie Jones, Catherine Zeta Jones, Siân Phillips, Jonathan Pryce, Alan Bennett and, flying in especially for the occasion, Tom Jones. The performance was recorded for television (directed by Declan Lowney) but has never been shown.

In November 2003, as part of the their commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Thomas's death, the BBC broadcast a new production of the play, imaginatively combining new actors with the original 1954 recording of Richard Burton playing 'First Voice'. (Broadcast 15 November 2003, BBC Radio 4; repeated 24 December 2004.) Digital noise reduction technology allowed Burton's part to be seamlessly incorporated into the new recording, which was intended to represent Welsh voices more realistically than the original.

In 2006, Austrian composer Akos Banlaky composed an opera to the libretto based on the German translation by Erich Fried (Unter dem Milchwald, performed at Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, Austria).

In 2008, a ballet version of Under Milk Wood by Independent Ballet Wales toured the UK. It was choreographed by Darius James with music by British composer Thomas Hewitt Jones. A suite including music from the ballet was recorded by Court Lane Music in 2009.

In 2009, a Dutch translation by Hugo Claus was brought on stage by Jan Decleir and Koen De Sutter in the Zeeland Late-Summer Festival.

Principal characters

The play opens at night, and each character is dreaming - this lasts for about one fifth of the play. The characters are presented below in the order in which the narrator introduces their dreams:

• Captain Cat - The old blind sea captain who dreams of his deceased sea fellows, and the benefits that they miss now no longer alive.
• Myfanwy Price - The dressmaker and sweet shop keeper who dreams of Mog Edwards, a draper, and marriage.
• Mr. Mog Edwards - The Draper that is loved by Myfanwy Price and who loves her back. Their romance, however, is restricted strictly to the letters they write one another
• Jack Black - The cobbler, who dreams of frightening the young couples.
• Evans the Death - The undertaker, who dreams of youth.
• Mr. Waldo - Rabbitcatcher, barber, herbalist, catdoctor, quack, dreams of his mother, her regret and his many unhappy, failed marriages due to his alcoholism and trouble making.
• Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard - The owner of a guest house, who must have everything clean and dreams of her late husbands.
• Mr. Ogmore - Deceased, Linoleum salesman, late of Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard.
• Mr. Pritchard - Deceased, failed bookmaker, late of Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard, committed suicide.
• Gossamer Beynon - The Schoolteacher (daughter of Butcher Beynon), dreams of a fox-like illicit love, which represents her hidden passion for Sinbad Sailors.
• Organ Morgan - The church organ player, has perturbed dreams of music and orchestras within the village. Cries out 'Help' in his sleep.
• Mr & Mrs Floyd - The cocklers, an elderly couple, seemingly the only couple to sleep peacefully in the village.
• Utah Watkins - The farmer, dreams of counting sheep that are smiling, bleating and knitting, just like his wife.
• Ocky Milkman - The milkman, dreams of pouring his milk into a river, regardless of expense.
• Mr. Cherry Owen - Dreams of drinking, and yet, is unable to as the tankard turns into a fish, which he drinks.
• Police Constable Attila Rees - The policeman, relieves himself into his helmet at night, knowing somehow he will regret this in the morning.
• Mr. Willy Nilly - The postman, who delivers the post in his sleep, and physically knocks upon his wife as if knocking upon a door.
• Mrs. Willy Nilly - Who, because of her husband's knocking upon her, dreams of being spanked by her teacher for being late for school, every night of her married life.
• Sinbad Sailors - The barman, dreams of Gossamer Beynon.
• Mae Rose Cottage - Dreams of meeting the right man by being a rebel.
• Bessie Bighead - Hired help, dreams of the one man that kissed her.
• Mrs. Butcher Beynon - Butcher Beynon's wife, dreams of the imagined horrors that her husband professes to commit.
• Butcher Beynon - The butcher, dreams of riding pigs and shooting wild giblets.
• Rev. Eli Jenkins - The Reverend, poet and preacher, dreams of Eisteddfodau.
• Mr. Pugh - School master, dreams of poisoning his wife.
• Mrs. Organ Morgan - Grocer, dreams of silence.
• Mary Ann Sailors - Dreams of the Garden of Eden.
• Dai Bread - The bigamist baker, dreams of harems.
• Polly Garter - Dreams of babies.
• Nogood Boyo - Dreams peevishly of 'nothing', though he later fantasises about Mrs. Dai Bread Two in a wet corset.
• Lord Cut Glass - Dreams of clocks.
• Lilly Smalls - Maid of the Beynons', dreams of love and a fantasy life.

Casting

1954 BBC Radio: the three boys were played by Ian Griffith, John Watts and Philip Cyster.

1972 film: the following also appear in the credits. Shane Shelton as Dancing Williams; Paul Grist as Tom Fred; Bryn Jones as Jonah Jarvis; John Rainer as Alfred Pomeroy Jones; Mark Jones as Evans the Death; Ray Smith as Mr Waldo; Olwen Griffiths as Waldo's mother; Paul Spear as Young Waldo; Lucy Griffiths as 3rd neighbour; Nesta Harris as 4th neighbour; Andree Gaydon as Matti Richards; Pamela Miles as Mrs Flusher; Davydd Harries as PC Attila Rees; Griffith Davies as Ocky Milkman; Davydd Havard as Lord Cut Glass; Janet Davis as Mrs Sarah; Margaret Courtney as 1st neighbour; Gwyneth Owen as 2nd neighbour; Gordon Styles as 1st fisherman; Brian Osborne as 2nd fisherman; T H Evans as Polly's grandfather; Edmond Thomas as Inspector; Jill Britton as Mrs Rose Cottage; Minnie Collins as Mrs Twenty-Three; Rhoda Lewis, Eira Griffith, Margaret Lacey & Angela Brinkworth as 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Woman; David Davies as Utah Watkins; Maudie edwards as Mrs Utah Watkins; Peggy Ann Clifford as Bessie Bighead.

Quotations

• To begin at the beginning: It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters'-and-rabbits' wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboatbobbing sea. - opening lines, spoken by First Voice

• We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood - prayer of the Reverend Eli Jenkins
• Text of Under Milk Wood, from Project Gutenberg Australia.

The opening can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7N5ODlswiE&feature=related

References

1. ^ Dylan Thomas: The Collected Letters edited by Paul Ferris. Macmillan 1985.
2. ^ Dylan's Llareggub map at The National Library of Wales's website
3. ^ The Burning Baby. Dated October 1934 in the 'Red Notebook' and first published in Contemporary Poetry and Prose, May 1936. This information listed by Walford Davies in Dylan Thomas: Collected Stories. Phoenix, 2000.
4. ^ Dylan Thomas, 'Under Milk Wood', The Definitive Edition (Dent: 1995.) p. 91.
5. ^ Dylan Thomas: The Collected Letters edited by Paul Ferris. Macmillan 1985. Footnote by editor.

Links

Under Milk Wood - A Short History by Nicolas Soames (accompanying Naxos AudioBook CDs) [1]

Dylan Thomas's sketch map of Llareggub. [2]