Rapturous applause greeted the final lines of 'Under Milk Wood' in St. James Church, Manorbier, on Saturday evening. The performance by the Cilgerran Players held an enthralled audience spellbound. Many of those listening were hearing Dylan Thomas's words for the first time: for others the lines were so familiar that they were silently mouthing them along with the cast!
But, "to begin at the beginning"... Dylan Thomas and his wife Caitlin had themselves agreed to take part in a village hall entertainment in December 1939. The village was Laugharne, in Carmarthenshire. The show, produced by Francis Hughes, was in aid of the Red Cross and was called 'Laugharne Entertainment'.
Afterwards, sparked off by the scenes in which he played a tanner, Dylan Thomas discussed his ideas about writing a play featuring a village and its inhabitants. The plot would concern the local press and would feature the villagers, themselves, as performers, while the story would be contained within a timeframe of 24 hours. This is considered to be the genesis of 'Under Milk Wood', written as a play for voices.
This was the last time Dylan Thomas appeared on stage until the premiere of 'Under Milk Wood' in New York in May 1953 when the play was still barely completed. Since then it has been performed, broadcast, televised, studied, analysed and written about all over the world.
Last Saturday's performance proved it had lost none of its freshness, appeal and subtle, wry humour in the intervening years. The production was presented as a radio play. Indeed, the producer and director, Patricia Price, played the part of the 'SM' - the studio manager, who would have run the radio studio, directing and cueing the cast on behalf of the radio producer, who would be sitting remotely and invisibly at the production desk, behind a thick glass screen in the adjoining technical area.
The Cilgerran Players were polished in their performances, elegant in their movements and are to be congratulated on their excellent timing and deliveries. The cast moved effortlessly from crowded, darkened background to lit foreground as their cues approached. Each voice in the performance changed in timbre, accent, emphasis and expression according to the character being portrayed, each voice playing many different characters throughout the production.
The audience for this first class entertainment included local people and summer visitors from far and wide. They responded with a grand "Thank You" to the cast, crew and production team for a memorable evening. All concerned gave their time, energy and enthusiasm free (and freely). The proceeds of this performance will benefit the restoration fund for the Church of St. James.
The use of St. James Church was by the kind and enlightened permission of the Vicar. The preparation of the venue, front of house duties and subsequent clearing up was by the 'village people'. Let us hope we can welcome the Cilgerran Players back again in the not too distant future.
If you missed this Manorbier performance you can catch up with Dylan Thomas's masterpiece in Boncath Community Hall tomorrow (Saturday) and also in St. Llawddogs Church, Cenarth, on Saturday, July 28.