The new EUTC production of Under Milk Wood – arguably Dylan Thomas’s most well-known work, is ingeniously staged at the Bedlam Theatre. A simple, yet highly effective, set consists of a street of multi-coloured doors that reveal vignettes of ordinary daily life in the Welsh village of Llarreggub. The play was originally written for radio, with no associated staging instructions, thus giving producers carte blanche in set design with a wide array of theatrical devices  skilfully employed in this ambitious production.

Staged over the course of a full day in an initially sleepy, imaginary Welsh village, as dawn breaks we are introduced one by one to its quirky, colourful residents. Bella Burgess as the narrator  deftly sets the scene with her soft, lilting, Welsh accent; intoning Thomas’s delicious descriptions with appropriate rhythm and cadence. Wonderful phrases, too numerous to mention, remind the audience that this was originally designed as a non-visual work, but Burgess quickly establishes a warm rapport and it’s worth a visit just to hear this beautiful prose from one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers.

Under Milk Wood is famous the world over for its rich and diverse cast of every-day characters, which provides the company with ample opportunities for dramatisation. As the day progresses we meet a cosmos of human life. We are introduced to their idiosyncrasies and learn of their deepest desires and sorrows.  Thomas’s script makes good use of dark humour and the characters are keenly observed, from the rather po-faced Reverend Eli Jenkins, to randy, alcoholic Mr Waldo – (portrayed with great slapstick comedy by Ella Peattie). Then there’s Mrs Ogmore Pritchard with her two dead husbands, who even from beyond the grave epitomise hen-packed servitude, and then Mr and Mrs Pugh, the former hatching a ludicrous, and never completely fulfilled, plot to murder his wife.

The action and mood is ever-changing and contrasting: with the banal and hilarious sitting cheek-by-jowl with moments of poignancy.  This is a veritable smörgåsbord of human life. The interplay between the lovers Myfanwy Price and Mog Edwards contrasts with the reflections of Captain Cat, the blind sea captain whose reminiscences are delivered with suitable emotion and gravitas by Rufus Goodman. The play gathers momentum, becoming increasingly intense, and often hilarious – this is a village which represents everywhere and nowhere (Llareggub is after all palindromic for “bugger all”).

This student company manages to bring this rich array of characters to life, constantly changing their roles as they dot in and out of doors, using simple props to conjure up the ever-changing scenes and provoking much laughter along the way. There is clever use of song and all cast members prove adept at swift character changes with not one line missed in this packed script. There were a few instances when certain dialogue could have been better projected but this is a minor point in an otherwise flawless and impressive amateur performance of a timeless classic.