I was delighted to be asked to appear in the Fluellen

Theatre Company's new production of the Dylan Thomas Classic

Under Milk Wood.

The director Peter Richards is one of the best theatre

directors I've ever worked with and he's a Swans' fan!

I've worked with Fluellen on two new plays in the past,

Toshack or Me and To Hull and Back which both attracted large

audiences to the Grand, many of whom were not regular

theatre-goers!

However, this will be a very different experience as Under

Milk Wood is such a well known play and has been staged many

times locally by Dylan devotees to the mighty Wales Theatre

Company.

If you're in any doubt about Swansea's connection with Dylan

then take a walk around the Waterfront and Marina area.

There you'll find a Dylan Thomas Centre with its Dylan

Exhibition and bookshop.

Close by there's the Dylan Thomas Theatre and Dylan Thomas

Square, whilst one of the Marina's beat features is a statue of

Captain Cat, the blind sea Captain from 'Under Milk Wood', who

gazes down towards '.... the clippered seas he sailed long ago

when his eyes were blue and bright, ......'

April 8 will be my 17th opening night in a show at the Grand

and I don't think I've been so nervous.

Swansea is Dylan Thomas turf and a Mecca for devotees of

this incredible man!

However, I don't think that I've been more excited about a

show in my career.

This is a Swansea show!

This production of Under Milk Wood is produced by a Swansea

Theatre Company with a cast of actors all of whom were born or

live locally!

The director is a Jack, the music written by a local

composer and the set is designed by none other than Dr Who and

Torchwood set man Ed Thomas, who is also from Swansea.

To add to that our production team is all local as well!

We had our first cast meeting on Sunday although it was very

different to any first rehearsal that I've had before.

It was lovely to see Claire Novelli and George Andrews who

were both in the recent production of To Hull and Back and an

old friend Bethan Thomas from Clydach.

Bethan was also in Robin Hood, which was the first Panto

that I appeared in at the Grand Theatre in 1996/97.

After the hellos, hugs and kisses we sat down to talk about

how director Peter Richards would approach the play.

Then we listened to a recording of Dylan Thomas in the first

production of Milk Wood in New York in 1953 and what an

incredible experience that was for me.

Peter then listed the characters that we would all play.

Under Milk Wood is an ensemble piece with actors playing a

number of different characters.

For me its

Rev Eli Jenkins (a bit different to Vicar Joe)

Evans the Death

Ocky Milkman

Organ Morgan

Dai Bread

Willy Nilly

Sinbad Sailor.

One of the highlights of our first rehearsal was the

opportunity to listen to the music that has been written for

this production by harpist Delyth Jenkins - it's

incredible!

Then we were able to see a model of the set that has been

designed by Ed Thomas.

Ed is an incredible talent and is responsible for designing

the Tardis in the new Dr Who.

In fact it was Ed's assistant Gwyn who explained the set to

us as Ed was busy working on the new Dr Who series.

So now I have to get to know the characters that I am

playing, although I don't think that it will be too

difficult!

Whenever I read Under Milk Wood I read it with a Swansea

accent.

Now although it's set in a generation before I was born I

remember growing up in the 60s and 70s where life was sometimes

Bible Black and Thou Shalt Not.

I grew up in Plasmarl with its own characters John's the

Milk, Cyril the Postman, Harry Clark the Coal and Noel the Bake

house!

Under Milk Wood is a very funny play.

It's a comedy which Dylan Thomas wrote for all people to

enjoy and like all good comedies you'll find that you will

laugh in different ways!

There'll be out and out belly laughs and laughs of

recognition as you laugh at characteristics you recognise in

people you know or you see in yourself!

Under Milk Wood opens at the Grand on April 8.

Call 01792 475 715 for ticket info.