Customer Reviews
Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas - By: ARuffledMindKBlogspot, 04 May 2008 
'To begin at the beginning'...
I was arranging a visit to Mousehole, Cornwall & whilst researching my visit (incredibly sad, yes - well informed, yes) I stumbled across Thomas' connections with this pretty village. A friend of his, Wyn Henderson, owned the now demolished 'Lobster Pot' harbourside. Thomas delightedin the village & proclaimed that he too, wanted to live somewhere like that. Llareggub, the fictional village Thomas describes is based on another harbourside villagein Wales, but the influence of Mousehole on Thomas' creative thoughts is distinctly recognisable to anyone who has visited it & whilst I was reading, I imagined Mousehole through his eyes - the buildings & characters so incredibly vivid. We wandered along the harbour at night after a drinkin the local hostelry - finding it silent & still, save the sound of waves against the sea walls.
This is a beautiful piece of writing: lyrical, humourous, quirky & theatrical. The voice of the narrator is particularly intelligent:
'You can hear the love-sick woodpigeons mooningin bed. A dog barksin his sleep, farmyards away. The town ripples like a lakein the waking haze.'
A picture of a community paintedin words. Genius.
aruffledmind-k.blogspot
"Time passes. Listen. Time passes." - By: Mary Whipple, 30 Dec 2007 Written as a "play for voices" for the BBC, this historic audiotape features the all-Welsh cast of the original BBC production from 1954. Richard Burton is the First Voice, which connects all the characters, played by twenty-eight men, women, & children. With perfect diction & the sense of character which only a great actor can convey, Burton rolls his R's, modulates his voicein pitch & intensity, & makes Thomas's poetry come fully alive--full of alliteration & various kinds of rhyme, with nouns & adjectives used as verbs to convey action & sense impressions simultaneously, & always a wry humor & honesty of feeling.
Depicting one full dayin the life of a small townin Wales, Thomas shows its motley residents as they awaken, perform their daily tasks, socialize, gossip, & daydream about the past that might have been & the future that may yet hold hope. When night falls & the residents retire, their losses & disappointments, along with their escapes into dreams, are given voice & poignancy. Polly Garter, with her numerous children by numerous fathers, dreams of Willie, a very small man who was the love of her life. Captain Cat, the blind bell-ringer, thinks of all the sailors he knew who died at sea. Mr. Pugh dreams of poisoning his wife, & young Gwenny, who has extorted pennies from the little boys who do NOT want to kiss her, plans for the next day & more pennies.
The sound effects provide context for the drama without overpowering the narrative--a cock's crow, the clip-clop of horses, the bark of dogs, footsteps, the sea, bell buoys--and simple songs add to the realism & the sense of character & place. A mournful tune performed by Polly Garterin a minor key, as she remembers Willie & compares him to her other lovers, is beautifully sung by Diana Maddox, her clear, bell-like voice & almost palpable sadness making her one of the most memorable of the characters. A humorous children's singing game, sung by local school children, gives added realism, & little Gwenny's song to three very young boys is delightfully cheeky. Both enchanting & historically important, this memorable recording is worth seeking through Used sites or through amazon.co.uk--the best recording ever made of this wonderful "play for voices." Mary Whipple
Now this is more like it - By: Mr. P. J. R. LEWIS, 05 Apr 2006 Richard Burtons voice simply brings this audiobook to life.The majority of readers & listeners are more used to this version than Thomases original radio performance.
The characters are brought to life by a more than eager cast of well known personalities.
According to the accompanying script with this audio cd version
Thomas first aired his play on 14 May 1953in New York on one of his lecture tours there.The recording we have here was totally revised & more the better for it & broadcast on 11 October 1963 a full ten years after its original airing.
What a contrastin style,the original 53 version is raw & unpolished & without Burtons commanding voice.
This 1963 edition is a revalation & was one of several transcripts with different cast members all bringing their own particular talent to this marvelous play.
If you must listen to the 1953 original you must remember this is not the finished article.To really appreciate the play turn to this BBC Radio Collection version it literally jumps out at you with its vigour & joy.
BUY-BUY- BUY THIS VERSION IT IS WORTHY OF ITS 5 STAR RATING MANY TIMES OVER !!
Under Milk Wood - By: , 02 Sep 2002 The BBC recording of the 'play for voices' with Richard Burton as the lead narrator, is a wonderful creation. The story of South-West Wales fishing village, following the life of the village as a single day passes, it is a glorious composition of finely drawn characters. The word play is poetic, the inter-twined lives of the voices are surreal, the atmosphere is tangible. There is comedy & pathos as the author & the superb cast of voices draw out the stories within the village. It's best listened toin the dark, start to finish,in one sitting. Let the pictures flood through your mind; the words & voices are so evocative. Then read it to yourself, preferably with a well-annotated version that explains all the nuances & subtleties. You will not be able to read it without hearing Richard Burton's rich voicein your mind & seeing again the village, cascading down the hills to the little harbour, & every place within where a little drama is happening. Unforgetable.
The Welsh Shakespeare - By: dafyd_griffiths_jones@hotmail.com, 23 Aug 2001 This being the first play I readin my whole life,it tends to be kind of sentimental, & without wanting to sound too patriotic, find everything of Dylan's a stroke of genius. The whole Play captures the atmosphere of a typical welsh town perfectly. Dylan is an icon who has inspired so many great artists, such as; Bob dylan(took his stage name from him), Mick jagger & David Bowie. Mr.Thomas I salute you!!!!
