Under Milk Wood at the SiLo Theatre

By SHANNON HUSE

As you watch Under Milk Wood at SiLo Theatre it is easy to imagine you have been transported back to a 1950s village. The show is as charming and soothing as a walk through the streets of Dylan Thomas' hamlet of Llareggub.

Production designer Rachael Walker has set the scene from the moment you walk through the theatre doors.

There is a short meander through a grove of trees and straw to the tiered seating, in front of a stage transformed into an old-fashioned radio studio authentically fitted out with faded floral carpet, folding chairs and large chrome microphones.

Performing this play for voices as a live radio play is a nice concept from director Caroline Bell-Booth and her production team, as it provides a visual element for a piece focused on words.

Delivering the words is a cast of familiar faces. They are led by Keith Adams who takes the challenging part of Voice One, and delivers a charming and twinkly eyed performance with just the right amount of Welsh lilt.

He is joined by Paul Barrett, Jon Brazier, Sophia Hawthorne and Michelle Langston who take a more BBC approach with a range of different English accents.

All have lovely moments, but Brazier and Langston are particularly impressive for their ability to bring different characters to life.

The production also features foley artist Matthew Brennan, who almost steals the show with his creative sound effects. Live music is provided by John Bell, Georgina Cooper and Andrew McMillan, who play original compositions.

Actors, foley artist and musician work well together and everyone looks as if they are having great fun.

With such a high entertainment factor and plenty of laughs, it seems churlish to complain but there were times when the music overpowered the actors and in all the fun some of the pathos of the piece has been lost.

Ironically, some of the best moments in this journey through sound were the quiet times when it was just an actor's voice in the dark bringing the words alive.

With everything that is happening, and the density of the words, there is much to take in and it is tempting to make a repeat visit to soak up more, especially as the cast changes on different nights with actors such as Tim Balme, Stuart Devenie, Katie Wolfe and Theresa Healey making guest appearances.

Overall, this SiLo staging of Under Milk Wood is entertaining and inventive. It should help to introduce Thomas to a new audience.

* Runs until September 18