November 8, 2006
At the Burton Taylor until Saturday 11th November, and directed by Elfie Burgess, this is a whistle-stop tour of the all-too-short life of Dylan Thomas. Told partly in narrative, by a porter at the hotel where Thomas stayed in New York up to his death, partly in flashback and partly through conversation, the colourful life of a tortured genius unfolds with the full range of emotions.
Central to Thomas’s adult life was his tumultuous relationship with his Irish wife Caitlin. As wild as Dylan himself, and considerably more violent in both her love and abuse of her husband, the performance of Melissa Julian was outstanding. From love-struck harlot to wronged wife, and finally deranged to the point of madness by the death of her man, the performance was both powerful and utterly believable. This was particularly effective when contrasted with the more stable love interest of Liz – Thomas’s American lover – played with admirable restraint by Grace Overbeke.
Robert Morgan, as Thomas, was equally strong at times – most especially when reciting the poem ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’ (written by Dylan in memory of his father). His performance at times was a little too studiedly introverted, but effectively conveyed the character of a man not in control of himself.
The play leaves the audience to decide whether Thomas was villain, rogue or genius – with plenty of evidence for all three conclusions. What it, and the cast, also did well was to bring out much of the humour of the man that is so evident in such writing as Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog. Very effective ensemble playing created the righteous indignation of Swansea housewives to great comic effect (Cary Rees and Sarah Hillman), and the hagiography of American audiences that quickly turned to disapproval at Thomas’s alcoholic excesses.
Where the play suffered was in the stop-start nature occasioned by the many scene changes. The continuous change from narrative to short scenes and back upset the rhythm of the playing, but I feel sure the strength of the performance will overcome this as the run continues.
Central to Thomas’s adult life was his tumultuous relationship with his Irish wife Caitlin. As wild as Dylan himself, and considerably more violent in both her love and abuse of her husband, the performance of Melissa Julian was outstanding. From love-struck harlot to wronged wife, and finally deranged to the point of madness by the death of her man, the performance was both powerful and utterly believable. This was particularly effective when contrasted with the more stable love interest of Liz – Thomas’s American lover – played with admirable restraint by Grace Overbeke.
Robert Morgan, as Thomas, was equally strong at times – most especially when reciting the poem ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’ (written by Dylan in memory of his father). His performance at times was a little too studiedly introverted, but effectively conveyed the character of a man not in control of himself.
The play leaves the audience to decide whether Thomas was villain, rogue or genius – with plenty of evidence for all three conclusions. What it, and the cast, also did well was to bring out much of the humour of the man that is so evident in such writing as Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog. Very effective ensemble playing created the righteous indignation of Swansea housewives to great comic effect (Cary Rees and Sarah Hillman), and the hagiography of American audiences that quickly turned to disapproval at Thomas’s alcoholic excesses.
Where the play suffered was in the stop-start nature occasioned by the many scene changes. The continuous change from narrative to short scenes and back upset the rhythm of the playing, but I feel sure the strength of the performance will overcome this as the run continues.