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This play is a result of Tony Layton's long
association with the world of Dylan Thomas.
Not only did Tony live around the corner from
Dylan's house in Cwmdonkin Drive, Swansea,
but for many years he directed plays at Swansea
Little Theatre which used to be Dylan's
theatre group when he was a young man. Alun
Gibbard, who has made a television film based
on the life of Dylan, had written the lyrics
to the music for "Dylan" and Tony was brought
in to convert Alan's research into a theatrical
delight.
The play takes the form of episodes from Dylan's
life interspersed with musical interludes,
both vocal and instrumental. The vocal items
can either be sung by a live band or by a
small vocal group to backing tracks, or the
accompanying audio CD can be licensed for
use at performances. The use of dance to interpret
or represent various aspects of the story
is part of the format of the play, and can
be a significant part of the musical items
or not, as required.
The play sets out to trace Dylan's life from
his childhood in Swansea to his early death
in New York. There is much contraversy surrounding
the reasons for Dylan's death and the play
examines the view that he did not die from
alcoholic poisoning but in fact entered a
diabetic coma which was not diagnosed by doctors
at the time.
Anyone who has taken the time to research
Dylan's life will know that he was a complex
individual. He was a talented writer and broadcaster,
always seemingly on the scrounge, a ready
wit, a severe critic and someone who had a
varied and colourful love life. His relationship
with his wife, Caitlin, could be loving but
could also be wild. Residents of Laugharne
report seeing them fighting on the street
after a night at Brown's pub.
Some say it was America that killed Dylan.
There he was celebrated as a great writer
and it was there that his most famous play
for voices, "Under Milk Wood" was first performed.
The lecture tour brought him some security
and his status helped him to move in celebrity
circles. There is something of a child in
Dylan's nature, an inspired innocence that
seems to be at odds with the wild party animal.
A reading of "A Child'sChristmas In Wales"
or "Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog"
(a nudge at James Joyce) reflect keen observations
of childhood and family life with which we
can all identify.
The play has attempted to weave some of these
strands together to try to give an honest
account of what we know of Dylan's life. Dylan's
daughter, Aeronwy, saw the play at its Swansea
premier which took place at the Dylan
Thomas Theatre. She was visibly moved
by the experience and gave her seal of approval.
When the play was performed in Swansea it
was a multi-media production with a band,
singers, dancers, troupe of actors and video
back projection. However, it could be performed
quite simply with actors and a solo singer.
This play is very adaptable and can be staged
as a play with incidental music, or as a full-blown,
multi-genre spectacular with actors, singers,
dancers and musicians. |
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| Principals |
| Young Dylan
Dylan
Old Dylan
Hotel Porter (New York)
Caitlin (Dylan's wife)
Liz (his mistress in New York)
Dan (a friend of Young Dylan)
Pamela Hansford-Johnson (a contemporary
poet) |
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| Supporting Cast |
| Minimum 3m/3f (each male playing
5 small roles, each female playing
4 small roles) |
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| Duration |
: 120 mins |
| Acts |
: 2 |
| Cast |
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| Principals |
: 5m / 3f |
| Support |
: 3m / 3f |
| Sets |
: 1 |
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| Other Music & Dance |
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