Under Milk Wood review: Surreal and sensory take on classic Dylan Thomas work as it returns to Swansea

It is a play that Volcano Theatre Group had once been banned from performing. Back in July 1998, the Swansea company received a letter from the Dylan Thomas estate stopping them from using any of the text from Under Milk Wood in its production of The Town That Went Mad.

But now, things have changed. The famous drama, together with all of Dylan’s work for that matter, has entered the public domain. Copyright law dictates that after 70 years, the author, or those which have its copyright, can no longer direct how it's used. And Volcano has not wasted any time in returning to it once again.

The show is being performed at Volcano Theatre in High Street, where audiences are first guided into a smaller room. Here, they are introduced to the talented cast of five, Christopher Elson, Aisling Groves McKeown, Richard Lynch, Jonathan Nefydd and Olivia Sweeney, who, from behind a clear screen, rehearse lines from Dylan Thomas’s famous drama. Find out about the latest events in Wales by signing up to our What's On newsletter here.

After taking their turn to run through a number of passages, they drop their scripts and head off. Audience members are then ushered through into the next room to watch the main performance. Inside, you are transported to the world of Llareggub (or buggerall, backwards). The main set is an expansive space magnificently designed with hay, wood chippings, cut up logs and a cube-shaped metal stage rig in the centre with clothes hanging from it. The cast soon re-emerge, as they pluck clothes from the rig and get changed.

The bold and original adaptation, directed by Paul Davies and movement director Catherine Bennett, has a high-tempo, and an anarchic feeling throughout. To those familiar with the work, it is far from the adaptations you may have seen through the years. It is subversive and surreal.

And it excels at creating an immersive experience for the audience, who are sat on long stools surrounding each side of the set, up close to the action. This is particularly highlighted by the moment where McKeown handed two members of the audience toothbrushes, applied toothpaste, and had them brush her teeth. Other moments saw wood chippings kicked off the ground, connecting with your shoes, and members of the cast intermittently sitting next to those watching the performance.

The show manages to engage all of the senses, from the smell of food being cooked up on a frying pan, and the feeling of heat from a real fire lit directly in front of you, to the disorientation of the lights being switched off, and hearing the voices of cast members talking as they moved around the set.

It is an innovative production and well and truly lives up to Volcano's reputation for its bold and inventive work. Make sure to arrive a bit earlier, as there’s plenty to see before you even enter the auditorium. Inside its foyer, Jeff Towns has curated a fascinating display of posters, pictures, news artefacts and more associated with Swansea’s most famous son.

Under Milk Wood is at Volcano Theatre until Saturday, December 21. To book tickets, click here. Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news. You will receive updates from us daily.