Under Milk Wood

Dylan Thomas

Theatr Clwyd production

Theatr Clwyd

March 19-April 4, 2026; 2 hrs 20 mins

Llareggub by moonlight - the cast of Under Milk Wood. All pics: Richard Lakos

Dylan Thomas was a dreamer, drifter, poet and rogue and Under Milk Wood is undoubtedly his masterpiece. Often described as a "play for voices", Thomas himself described it as "prose with blood pressure". 

The storyline is undeniably simple: a day in the life of a village, Llareggub. But it's the detail that matters.  The play opens by expressing the dreams of a host of villagers and describing their village, then portrays an ordinary day, drawing out the attitudes, character and actions of the villagers. There is a marked difference between the nature of those dreams and their daily life. The set is simple and imaginative, focusing on a houses jumbled together on a hillside - evocative of many villages in the Welsh Valleys.

This new production, directed by Theatr Clwyd's artistic director, Kate Wasserberg, rejects static recital and animates the prose using quite a large company, incorporating several actors who are deaf, disabled or neurodivergent. The degree of preparation must have been difficult, tying together tightly- choreographed movement with the text and incorporating sign language; but cast members are nonetheless highly accomplished and thoroughly well schooled by movement director Laura Meaton - the action flows seamlessly. The cast works together as a team and during the first act there are no stand-out performers, just a group working together in unity.

During the second act a few players have the chance to shine, Georgia Griffiths sings beautifully as Polly Garter; Amy Conachan wheels around the stage in her chair with aplomb, and Sean Carlson starts and ends the day beuatifully with a wistful poem as the Reverend Jenkins.

Of course the most delightful aspect of this play is the prose. It draws you into the story and invests you in the characters. There is acute observation; Thomas knows these people and describes them affectionately, warts and all. There is an earthy, realistic humour as well as a large amount of pathos amid this excellent characterisation. The cast is great at bringing this prose to life, even though the combination of action, sign language, slick movement and on-screen text can be an assault on your eyesight at times.

This is not a traditional play, but it is a profound experience. From a mundane situation the play draws out the joys and tragedies that life brings, as well as describing an almost idyllic setting of woods, mountains, river and sea, making this an intense, but thoroughly enjoyable, night's entertainment.

More info and tickets here