A Cast of 10.
Over 30 characters.
Minimal props.
Music by the cast.
An impressive show.

· By Lauren Wapling

The 2004-2005 Theatre at UBC season will officially open on Thursday, September 23, with a production of Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood. Directed by Sarah Rodgers, the cast features final year students of the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting Program.

The small Welsh village of Llareggub is the setting for Under Milk Wood, poet Dylan Thomas's only play. Thomas's juxtaposition of comical and often vulgar reality amid the colour of daily life, and the intimacy of dreams, is strikingly portrayed in this production. The narrators extend a personal invitation to the audience into a world where the romanticism of clouds that "sag and pillow" is instantaneously replaced with the snort, smile, and bagpipe dugs of mud-basking pigs. Under Milk Wood is certainly an insight into the darkest and most unusual corners of a seemingly ordinary village.

Assaulted with a myriad of fitful, scandalous and lonely characters, whose dreams are haunted by desire and denial, Under Milk Wood initially seems too much to handle. Dead, alive, sober, drunk, faithful, hateful, loving; it seems unlikely that by the play's conclusion you could know them all. Yet, the brilliance of the cast captures each snippet of character so boldly that the audience can not only appreciate individual characters, but also identif y with the passion, honesty, and humor of Llareggub.

With the virtual absence of props, the cast is forced to rely upon mime to convey a multitude of varying characters. Actor Niki Brown explained that specificity and use of the body is vital in distinguishing between characters. Fellow cast member Tory Coombs agreed that, particularly with no costume changes, they were forced to exaggerate, "to do a lot with little." The end result is incredible, as individual cast members evolve from billy goat to geriatric, to schoolgirl, to long-dead and unloving husband.

The audience cannot help but be infected with compassion for the flawed characters, fondly depicted by Thomas with the absurdities of human nature.

The music used in the play is simple yet effective, and is entirely produced by the cast members who never leave the stage. Niki and Tory revealed that many cast members were required to learn instruments from scratch, with rehearsals often being equally divided between the play itself and the musical component. Whilst Tory describes one of his instruments, the autoharp, as the "harp for dummies," violin, recorder, harmonica, xylophone, and an impressive voice ensemble are amongst the musical ingredients that contribute to the success of this production.

Why should Under Milk Wood be placed as a priority engagement in your diary? It 's a play that incorporates satire, amateur musicians, animal noises, and a village where love is declared with a promise to "warm the sheets like an electric toaster, (and) lie by your side like the Sunday roast. . . " What more could you want? There is, of course, also the opportunity to admire a cast and a majority of crew, including the set, lighting, costume and sound designers, who are Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates here at UBC.

Niki explained that while it has been hard work to master the many "Dylanisms", developing Under Milk Wood has been a lot of fun, and the cast looks forward to people coming out to support Theatre at UBC's opening production. It certainly comes thoroughly recommended.

Under Milk Wood opens on September 22 with a $6 preview, and regular shows run September 23 -October 2. The cost is $10 for students, $18 for adults and $12 for seniors. Curtain opens at 7:30pm each night at Federic Wood Theatre. Tickets are available at the theatre box office or by calling 604-822-2678.

This article was taken from the The Point online.