Under Milk Wood: Lives of Quiet Desperation

The producers of Intimation Theatre Company are gutsy, to say the least.  Choosing to stage Dylan Thomas' convoluted radio play Under Milk Wood for their inaugural production was a bold move.  Fortunately their gamble has paid off with what is, in the main, an engagingly wholesome slice of theatre.

A play for voices, intended as a radio drama, Under Milk Wood was conceived in 1953, and finished just before the author's death.  The plot, such as it is, follows a day in the life of the inhabitants of the imaginary town of Llareggub, Wales.  Starting early in the morning, we eavesdrop on their dreams, guided by two narrators called "voices", then variously follow the people of the town through their day, shifting from character to character as they gossip, lust after each other, consider murder, think about marriage, rhapsodize, sing, and write poetry.  Over 40 characters are represented, making it a daunting script to perform even on the radio.

Michelle Dean directs the cast fluidly; they are in near-constant motion, especially since each member of the 12-member cast (aside from the Voices) plays at least two main characters; hats, glasses, and petticoats whiz on and off and voices and postures change sometimes as the performer turns on his or her heel, instantaneously becoming another character.  Most of the cast rise to meet the challenge flawlessly, though one or two are less deft than the rest, both acting-wise and in handling Thomas' sometimes abstruse language.  The choice was made to go with the cast's natural American accents rather than to attempt Welsh, which made the language very clear- aside from some references, the characters could easily have been in a small town in America.

Standouts among the mostly-excellent cast are Betsy Head, who has a firm handle on the complex sensuality of town slut Polly Garter as well as giving a comically grotesque turn as Mrs. Dai Bread One (Mr. Bread has two wives).  John Mervini is excellent as Mr. Pugh (a milquetoast who dreams of murdering his harridan of a wife) as well as bringing a quiet dignity to Captain Cat, the blind sea captain.  Amanda Kay Schill is gloriously funny as the germ-phobic Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard as well as wanna-be voluptuary Gossamer Beynon.  Owen Panettieri has some nice moments as the Reverend Eli Jenkins, and Jennifer Weedon is solidly present in all of her roles.

The two Voices are rather oddly matched.  Elizabeth Bove, the most mature actor onstage, is a powerful presence as Voice One; she keeps the story firmly in hand, riding the cast with her air of authority- which makes it all the more jarring when she occasionally misses a line or misspeaks (despite both Voices carrying their lines on huge books).  Lyle Blaker as Voice Two is barely able to keep up, not least because his role is underwritten.

The music by Arvi Sreenivasan is perfectly numinous and rural- all ukulele, accordion, and glockenspiel.  Sreeenivasan also arranges Thomas' music for the songs in the play.

Under Milk Wood
Intimation Theatre Company
January 23 - February 10, 2008
Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8PM. - Sundays at 3PM
Theatre 3 - 311 W 43rd St, 3rd Floor
Tickets $22 - Available through Ticket Central.

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