Under Milk Wood – Captain Cat, Reverend Eli Jenkins, Dai Bread, Atilla Rees, First Neighbour

21:30, Tue 7th – Sat 11th February 2023 at Pembroke New Cellars

An omniscient, lyrical narrator takes the audience on an intimate journey into the small Welsh town Llareggub, where its occupants are dreaming and living their individual lives of yearning, loving, and losing. It is a story about community, friendship and our neighbours, laced together by Thomas' groundbreaking, melodic work originally intended for radio.

A retired, blind sea captain named Captain Cat dreams of his past and people he knew long ago. Mog Edwards, the town draper, and Myfanwy Price, the dressmaker, write hopeless love letters to each other. Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard cleans away invisible dust, tormented by her two late husbands. The despicable Mr and Mrs Pugh despise each other. The indolent Sinbad Sailor fantasises about the beautiful Gossamer Beynon, and she likewise, whilst the Reverend Eli Jenkins evangelically sings the town awake. Mr Waldo runs recklessly around town, and Polly Garter overcompensates for the death of her true love.

Thomas’ use of words lull the audience into a transient, dreamlike state as we are led down into a raw and familiar day of ordinary, yet still intriguing, characters in this poetic, alluring and ultimately reflective play.