Under Milk Wood is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, adapted later as a stage play. A movie version, Under Milk Wood directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released during 1972.
An omniscient narrator invites the audience to listen to the dreams and innermost thoughts of the inhabitants of an imaginary small Welsh village, Llareggub (which is bugger all spelt backwards).
They include Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard, relentlessly nagging 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 awakens and, aware now of how their feelings affect whatever they do, we watch them go about their daily business.
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When Dylan Thomas was staying in Wales 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 a short story named 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 be developed more for Under Milk Wood. For instance, the short story includes a 28-line poem of which this is the fourth verse (the name and the final line reappear in Under Milk Wood).
Thomas wrote to his wife, Caitlin, (about 23 May 1953, from the USA, on notepaper headed The Poetry Centre), towards the end of a long letter [1]: 'I've finished that infernally eternally unfinished 'Play' & have done it in New York with actors.'
The same year, 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 YMCA 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.
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". For early published editions of the play it was often rendered (contrary to Thomas's wishes) as Llaregyb or similar. The double-G is not a feature of real Welsh. 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 intermittently from the 1930s. 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 during 1944. Both towns use the Under Milk Wood association to attract tourists, hence the rivalry, and The Dylan Thomas Trail has been opened in New Quay.[2]
More recent research has indicated that most of the first half of the play was written in South Leigh, Oxford, whilst the second half was mostly written in America during May 1953. Fewer than 300 lines were written in Laugharne.[3]
Dylan drew a sketch map of the fictional town. This is now at the National Library of Wales and can be viewed online.[4]
The name Llareggub was first used by Dylan Thomas in a short story The Burning Baby[5] published during 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 imitated from Arthur Machen's autobiography Far Off Things (1922) [6]
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.
The play had its first reading on stage on 14 May 1953, in New York, at The Poetry Center.[7] Thomas himself read the parts of the First Voice and the Reverend Eli Jenkins. Almost as an afterthought, the performance was recorded on a single-microphone tape recording (the microphone was laid at front center on the stage floor) and later issued by the Caedmon company. It is the only known recorded performance of Under Milk Wood with Thomas as a part of the cast. A studio recording, planned for 1954, was precluded by Thomas's death during November 1953.[8]
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 11 October 1963.
The 1972 film adaptation, 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 movie was filmed 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 done 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 during 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, specially for the occasion, singer Tom Jones. The performance was recorded for television (directed by Declan Lowney) but has never been shown.
In 1997, Australian pianist and composer Tony Gould's adaptation of Under Milk Wood (written for narrator and chamber orchestra) was first performed by actor John Stanton and the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra.[9]
In November 2003, as part of 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 incorporated unobtrusively 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 with the libretto based on the German translation by Erich Fried (Unter dem Milchwald, performed at Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, Austria).
In October 2008, Brightspark Productions released a 50 minute DVD animation version, using an earlier BBC soundtrack with Richard Burton as narrator. This was commissioned by S4C (a Welsh language public service broadcaster). Music was composed specially by Trevor Herbert, and performed by Treordy Male Voice Choir and the Welsh Brass Consort. Producer Robert Lyons. Director, Les Orton. It was made by Siriol Productions in association with Onward Productions and BBC Pebble Mill. DVD ref: 5 037899 005798.
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 during 2009.
In 2009 and 2010, a translation in Dutch by the Belgian writer Hugo Claus was performed on stage by Jan Decleir and Koen De Sutter during a theatre tour in Belgium and the Netherlands (e.g. the Zeeland Late-Summer Festival, the Vooruit in Ghent, etc.).
In 2010 a one-woman production of the text was performed at the Sidetrack Theatre in Sydney, Australia, presented by Bambina Borracha Productions and directed by Vanessa Hughes. Actress Zoe Norton Lodge performed all 64 characters in the play[10]
In July 2011, Progress Youth Theatre (Reading, Berkshire, UK) performed a stage adaptation of the radio script. All visual aspects, such as stage directions, costume, set and lighting design were therefore devised entirely by the youth theatre. The voice parts were shared equally between seven actors, with other actors playing multiple 'named' parts (with the exception of Captain Cat, who remained on stage throughout the production).
The BBC Formula 1 introduction to the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix features extracts of the audio for their opening VT.
As the requirements for costumes, sets, and the like are minimal, it is a favorite of college and community groups.
The play opens at night, when the citizens of Llareggub are asleep. The narrator (First Voice/Second Voice) informs the audience that they are witnessing the townspeople's dreams.
Captain Cat, the blind sea captain, is tormented in his dreams by his drowned seafellows, who long to live again and enjoy the pleasures of the world. Mog Edwards and Myfanwy Price dream of each other; Mr. Waldo dreams of his childhood and his failed marriages; Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard dreams of her deceased husbands. Almost all of the characters in the play are introduced as the audience witnesses a moment of their dreams.
Morning begins. The voice of a guide introduces the town, discussing the facts of Llareggub. The Reverend Eli Jenkins delivers a morning sermon on his love for the village. Lily Smalls wakes and bemoans her pitiful existence. Mr. and Mrs. Pugh observe their neighbors; the characters introduce themselves as they act during their morning. Mrs. Cherry Owen merrily rehashes her husband's drunken antics. Butcher Beynon teases his wife during breakfast. Captain Cat watches as Willy Nilly the postman goes about his morning rounds, delivering to Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard, Mrs. Pugh, Mog Edwards and Mr. Waldo ("It's another paternity summons").
At Mrs. Organ-Morgan's general shop, women gossip about the townspeople. Willy Nilly and his wife steam open a love letter from Mog Edwards to Myfanwy Price; he expresses fear that he may be in the poor house if his business does not improve. Mrs. Dai Bread Two swindles Mrs. Dai Bread One with a phony fortune in her crystal ball. Polly Garter scrubs floors and sings about her past paramours. Children play in the schoolyard; Gwennie urges the boys to "kiss her where she says or give her a penny." Gossamer Beynon and Sinbad Sailors privately desire each other.
During dinner, Mr. Pugh imagines poisoning Mrs. Pugh. Mrs. Organ-Morgan shares the day's gossip with her husband, but his only interest is the organ. The audience sees a glimpse of Lord Cut-Glass's insanity in his "kitchen full of time". Captain Cat dreams of his lost lover, Rosie Probert, but weeps as he remembers that she will not be with him again. Nogood Boyo fishes in the bay, dreaming of Mrs. Dai Bread Two and geishas.
On Llareggub Hill, Mae Rose Cottage spends a lazy afternoon wishing for love. Reverend Jenkins works on the White Book of Llareggub, which is a history of the entire town and its citizens. On the farm, Utah Watkins struggles with his cattle, aided by Bessie Bighead. As Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard becomes asleep, her husbands return to her. Mae Rose Cottage swears that she will sin until she explode.
As night begins, Reverend Jenkins recites another poem. Cherry Owen heads to the Sailors Arms, where Sinbad still longs for Gossamer Beynon. The town prepares for the evening, to sleep or otherwise. Mr. Waldo sings drunkenly at the Sailors Arms. Captain Cat sees his drowned shipmates-- and Rosie-- as he begins to sleep. Organ-Morgan mistakes Cherry Owen for Johann Sebastian Bach on his way to the chapel. Mog and Myfanwy write to each other before sleeping. Mr. Waldo meets Polly Garter in a forest. Night begins and the citizens of Llareggub return to their dreams again.
| Character | May 14, 1953 New York [11] | 1954 BBC Radio | 1963 BBC Radio | 1972 Film | 2003 BBC Radio | 2011 Theatre Ink | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Voice | Dylan Thomas | Richard Burton | Richard Burton | Richard Burton | Richard Burton | ||
| Second Voice | Dion Allen | Richard Bebb | Ryan Davies | Siân Phillips | |||
| Captain Cat | Roy Poole | Hugh Griffith | Hugh Griffith | Peter O'Toole | Glyn Houston | Philip Halin | |
| Rosie Probert | Nancy Wickwire | Rachel Thomas | Gwenyth Petty | Elizabeth Taylor | Mali Harries | Rosie McInnes | |
| Polly Garter | Nancy Wickwire | Diana Maddox | Margo Jenkins | Ann Beach | Eiry Thomas | Bethany Lehman | |
| Mr. Mog Edwards | Allen F. Collins | Dafydd Harvard | Aubrey Richards | Victor Spinetti | Matthew Rhys | Sam Raby | |
| Myfanwy Price | Sada Thompson | Sybil Williams | Margo Jenkins | Glynis Johns | Lisa Palfrey | Mercer Gary | |
| Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard | Sada Thompson | Dylis Davies | Dorothea Phillips | Siân Phillips | Christine Pritchard | Emma Weisberg | |
| Mr. Ogmore | Allen F. Collins | David Close-Thomas | David Garfield | Dillwyn Owen | Sion Probert | Jonny Cohen | |
| Mr. Pritchard | Dion Allen | Ben Williams | John Gill | Richard Davies | Islwyn Morris | Will Champion | |
| Butcher Beynon | Allen F. Collins | Meredith Edwards | Richard Curnock | Hubert Rees | Sion Probert | Ezra Dulit-Greenberg | |
| Gossamer Beynon | Nancy Wickwire | Gwenllian Owen | Margo Jenkins | Angharad Rees | Joyani Ghosh | ||
| The Rev. Eli Jenkins | Dylan Thomas | Philip Burton | T H Evans | Aubrey Richards | Wayne Forester | Jack Reibstein | |
| Lily Smalls | Sada Thompson | Gwenyth Petty | Gwenyth Petty | Meg Wyn Owen | Catrin Rhys | Tess Vasiliadis | |
| Mr. Pugh | Roy Poole | John Huw Jones | Raymond Llewellyn | Talfryn Thomas | Steffan Rhodri | Simon Wolfe | |
| Mrs. Pugh | Nancy Wickwire | Mary Jones | Rachel Thomas | Vivien Merchant | Sara McGaughey | Aviva Galpert | |
| Mary Ann Sailors | Sada Thompson | Rachel Thomas | Betty Lloyd-Davies | Rachel Thomas | Christine Pritchard | Indigo Asim | |
| Sinbad Sailors | Allen F. Collins | Aubrey Richards | Talfryn Thomas | Michael Forrest | Steven Meo | Jonny Cohen | |
| Dai Bread | Allen F. Collins | David Close-Thomas | John Gill | Dudley Jones | Jack Reibstein | ||
| Mrs. Dai Bread One | Sada Thompson | Gwenyth Petty | Guinevere Roberts | Dorothea Phillips | Mali Harries | Emma Weisberg | |
| Mrs. Dai Bread Two | Nancy Wickwire | Rachel Roberts | Patricia Mort | Ruth Madoc | Sara McGaughey | Mercer Gary | |
| Willy Nilly Postman | Dion Allen | Ben Williams | Mervyn Johns | Tim Wylton | Iestyn Jones | Ezra Dulit-Greenberg | |
| Mrs Willy Nilly | Nancy Wickwire | Rachel Thomas | Rachel Thomas | Bronwen Williams | Eiry Thomas | Indigo Asim | |
| Cherry Owen | Dion Allen | John Ormond Thomas | John Gill | Glynn Edwards | Andy Hockley | Dan Minahan | |
| Mrs. Cherry Owen | Nancy Wickwire | Lorna Davies | Buddug Mair Powell | Bridget Turner | Ruth Jones | Rosie McInnes | |
| Nogood Boyo | Allen F. Collins | Dillwyn Owen | David Jason | Dan Minahan | |||
| Organ Morgan | Roy Poole | John Glyn-Jones | Richard Parry | Simon Wolfe | |||
| Mrs Organ Morgan | Sada Thompson | Olwen Brookes | Dilys Price | Aviva Galpert | |||
| Mae Rose Cottage | Sada Thompson | Rachel Roberts | Susan Penhaligon | Catrin Rhys | Kate Lewis | ||
| Gwennie | Sada Thompson | Norma Jones | Olwen Rees | Tess Vasiliadis | |||
| Jack Black | Roy Poole | John Rees | Steffan Rhodri | Philip Halin | |||
| Evans the Death | Allen F. Collins | Mark Jones | Jonny Cohen | ||||
| Mr. Waldo | Roy Poole | Ray Smith | Jacob Rosenberg | ||||
| Utah Watkins | Allen F. Collins | David Davies | Sam Raby | ||||
| Mrs. Utah Watkins | Nancy Wickwire | Maudie Edwards | Marianne Engelke | ||||
| Ocky Milkman | Roy Poole | Griffith Davies | Dan Minahan | ||||
| P.C. Attila Rees | Allen F. Collins | Davyd Harries | |||||
| Bessie Bighead | Nancy Wickwire | Peggy Ann Clifford | Bethany Lehman | ||||
| Mrs. Butcher Beynon | Nancy Wickwire | Mary Jones | Bethany Lehman | ||||
| Lord Cut-Glass | Dion Allen | Dafydd Havard | Will Champion | ||||
| Gomer Owen | Ieuan Rhys Williams | ||||||
| First Neighbor | Nancy Wickwire | Simon Wolfe | |||||
| Second Neighbor | Sada Thompson | Joyani Ghosh | |||||
| First Woman | Sada Thompson | Marianne Engelke | |||||
| Second Woman | Nancy Wickwire | Joyani Ghosh | |||||
| Child's Voice | Sada Thompson | Emma Weisberg | |||||
| First Drowned | Allen F. Collins | Jonny Cohen | |||||
| Second Drowned | Dylan Thomas | Sam Raby | |||||
| Third Drowned | Allen F. Collins | Kate Lewis | |||||
| Fourth Drowned | Dion Allen | Mercer Gary | |||||
| Fifth Drowned | Dylan Thomas | Aviva Galpert | |||||
| Voice of a Guide Book | Roy Poole | John Humphrys | Will Champion | ||||
| Billy | Roy Poole | Sam Raby | |||||
| Johnny Cristo | Dion Allen | Simon Wolfe | |||||
| Dicky | Allen F. Collins | Jacob Rosenberg |