Under Milk Wood

A statue in Swansea's Maritime Quarter representing Thomas's fictional Captain Cat

Under Milk Wood is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, adapted later as a stage play. A movie version, Under Milk Wood directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released during 1972.

An omniscient narrator invites the audience to listen to the dreams and innermost thoughts of the inhabitants of an imaginary small Welsh village, Llareggub (which is bugger all spelt backwards).

They include Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard, relentlessly nagging her two dead husbands; Captain Cat, reliving his seafaring times; the two Mrs Dai Breads; Organ Morgan, obsessed with his music; and Polly Garter, pining for her dead lover. Later, the town awakens and, aware now of how their feelings affect whatever they do, we watch them go about their daily business.

Origins and development

When Dylan Thomas was staying in Wales in New Quay one winter, he went out early one morning into the still sleeping town and verses came to his mind about the inhabitants. He wrote the account of this as a short story named Quite Early One Morning (recorded for BBC Wales 14 December 1944 and broadcast 31 August 1945). He continued to work on the idea for eight years.

In Quite Early One Morning there are numerous ideas and characters which would be developed more for Under Milk Wood. For instance, the short story includes a 28-line poem of which this is the fourth verse (the name and the final line reappear in Under Milk Wood).

Open the curtains, light the fire, what are servants for?

I am Mrs Ogmore Pritchard and I want another snooze.

Dust the china, feed the canary, sweep the drawing-room floor;

And before you let the sun in, mind he wipes his shoes.

Thomas wrote to his wife, Caitlin, (about 23 May 1953, from the USA, on notepaper headed The Poetry Centre), towards the end of a long letter ^[1]: 'I've finished that infernally eternally unfinished 'Play' & have done it in New York with actors.'

The same year, he read a part of the script in public for the first time in Cambridge, Massachusetts at The Poetry Centre. Soon after, with others, he sound-recorded a performance at the 92nd Street YMCA in Manhattan.

On 9 September 1953, he delivered a full draft of Under Milk Wood to the BBC as he left for a tour of America, intending to revise the manuscript on his return.

Dylan Thomas is reported to have commented that Under Milk Wood was developed in response to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, as a way of reasserting the evidence of beauty in the world^{[citation needed]}.

Llareggub

A boat bearing the name of the fictional location of Under Milk Wood

The fictional name Llareggub resembles other Welsh place names, which often begin with Llan- (meaning church), but is actually derived from reversing the phrase "bugger all". For early published editions of the play it was often rendered (contrary to Thomas's wishes) as Llaregyb or similar. The double-G is not a feature of real Welsh. If it were to be pronounced in Welsh it would be [ɬaˈreɡːɪb]

The geographical inspiration for the town has generated intense debate. Laugharne was the village where Dylan Thomas lived intermittently from the 1930s. This town was probably the inspiration for the people of Llareggub, although the topography of the town is thought to be based on New Quay, Ceredigion where Dylan was staying when he started writing the play seriously during 1944. Both towns use the Under Milk Wood association to attract tourists, hence the rivalry, and The Dylan Thomas Trail has been opened in New Quay.^[2]

More recent research has indicated that most of the first half of the play was written in South Leigh, Oxford, whilst the second half was mostly written in America during May 1953. Fewer than 300 lines were written in Laugharne.^[3]

Dylan drew a sketch map of the fictional town. This is now at the National Library of Wales and can be viewed online.^[4]

The name Llareggub was first used by Dylan Thomas in a short story The Burning Baby^[5] published during 1936. ('Death took hold of his sister's legs as she walked through the calf-high heather up the hill... She was to him as ugly as the sowfaced woman Llareggub who had taught him the terrors of the flesh.')

In the play, the Rev Eli Jenkins writes a poem, which describes Llareggub Hill and its "mystic tumulus". This was based on a lyrical description of Twmbarlwm's "mystic tumulus" in Monmouthshire that Thomas imitated from Arthur Machen's autobiography Far Off Things (1922) ^[6]

The town's name is the inspiration for the country of Llamedos (sod 'em all) in Terry Pratchett's Discworld setting. In the setting, Llamedos is a parody of Wales.

Performances

The play had its first reading on stage on 14 May 1953, in New York, at The Poetry Center.^[7] Thomas himself read the parts of the First Voice and the Reverend Eli Jenkins. Almost as an afterthought, the performance was recorded on a single-microphone tape recording (the microphone was laid at front center on the stage floor) and later issued by the Caedmon company. It is the only known recorded performance of Under Milk Wood with Thomas as a part of the cast. A studio recording, planned for 1954, was precluded by Thomas's death during November 1953.^[8]

The BBC first broadcast Under Milk Wood, a new 'Play for Voices', on the Third Programme on 25 January 1954 (two months after Dylan's death), although several sections were omitted. The play was recorded with a distinguished, all-Welsh cast and produced by Douglas Cleverdon. The recording featured Richard Burton as 'First Voice'. A repeat was broadcast two days later. Daniel Jones, the Welsh composer who was a lifelong friend of Thomas's (and his literary trustee), wrote the music; this was recorded separately, on 15 and 16 January, at Laugharne School.

In 1963, the original radio producer, Douglas Cleverdon, revisited the project and recorded the complete play, which was broadcast on 11 October 1963.

The 1972 film adaptation, with Richard Burton reprising his role, also featured Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O'Toole, Glynis Johns, Vivien Merchant, and other well-known actors, and Ryan Davies as the 'Second Voice'. The movie was filmed on location in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire and at Lee International Film Studios, London.

In 1988, George Martin produced an album version, featuring more of the dialogue being sung, with music by Martin and Elton John, among others; Anthony Hopkins played the part of 'First Voice'. This was subsequently done as a one-off stage performance (as An Evening with Dylan Thomas), for The Prince's Trust and in the presence of HRH Prince Charles, to commemorate the opening during December 1992 of the new AIR Studios at Lyndhurst Hall. It was again produced by Martin and directed by Hopkins, who once again played 'First Voice'. Other roles were played by Harry Secombe, Freddie Jones, Catherine Zeta Jones, Siân Phillips, Jonathan Pryce, Alan Bennett and, specially for the occasion, singer Tom Jones. The performance was recorded for television (directed by Declan Lowney) but has never been shown.

In November 2003, as part of their commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Thomas's death, the BBC broadcast a new production of the play, imaginatively combining new actors with the original 1954 recording of Richard Burton playing 'First Voice'. (Broadcast 15 November 2003, BBC Radio 4; repeated 24 December 2004.) Digital noise reduction technology allowed Burton's part to be incorporated unobtrusively into the new recording, which was intended to represent Welsh voices more realistically than the original.

In 2006, Austrian composer Akos Banlaky composed an opera with the libretto based on the German translation by Erich Fried (Unter dem Milchwald, performed at Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, Austria).

In October 2008, Brightspark Productions released a 50 minute DVD animation version, using an earlier BBC soundtrack with Richard Burton as narrator. This was commissioned by S4C (a Welsh language public service broadcaster). Music was composed specially by Trevor Herbert, and performed by Treordy Male Voice Choir and the Welsh Brass Consort. Producer Robert Lyons. Director, Les Orton. It was made by Siriol Productions in association with Onward Productions and BBC Pebble Mill. DVD ref: 5 037899 005798.

In 2008, a ballet version of Under Milk Wood by Independent Ballet Wales toured the UK. It was choreographed by Darius James with music by British composer Thomas Hewitt Jones. A suite including music from the ballet was recorded by Court Lane Music during 2009.

In 2009 and 2010, a translation in Dutch by the Belgian writer Hugo Claus was performed on stage by Jan Decleir and Koen De Sutter during a theatre tour in Belgium and the Netherlands (e.g. the Zeeland Late-Summer Festival, the Vooruit in Ghent, etc.).

In 2010 a one-woman production of the text was performed at the Sidetrack Theatre in Sydney, Australia, presented by Bambina Borracha Productions and directed by Vanessa Hughes. Actress Zoe Norton Lodge performed all 64 characters in the play^[9]

In July 2011, Progress Youth Theatre (Reading, Berkshire, UK) performed a stage adaptation of the radio script. All visual aspects, such as stage directions, costume, set and lighting design were therefore devised entirely by the youth theatre. The voice parts were shared equally between seven actors, with other actors playing multiple 'named' parts (with the exception of Captain Cat, who remained on stage throughout the production).

The BBC Formula 1 introduction to the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix features extracts of the audio for their opening VT.

As the requirements for costumes, sets, and the like are minimal, it is a favorite of college and community groups.

Plot

The play opens at night, when the citizens of Llareggub are asleep. The narrator (First Voice/Second Voice) informs the audience that they are witnessing the townspeople's dreams.

Captain Cat, the blind sea captain, is tormented in his dreams by his drowned seafellows, who long to live again and enjoy the pleasures of the world. Mog Edwards and Myfanwy Price dream of each other; Mr. Waldo dreams of his childhood and his failed marriages; Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard dreams of her deceased husbands. Almost all of the characters in the play are introduced as the audience witnesses a moment of their dreams.

Morning begins. The voice of a guide introduces the town, discussing the facts of Llareggub. The Reverend Eli Jenkins delivers a morning sermon on his love for the village. Lily Smalls wakes and bemoans her pitiful existence. Mr. and Mrs. Pugh observe their neighbors; the characters introduce themselves as they act during their morning. Mrs. Cherry Owen merrily rehashes her husband's drunken antics. Butcher Beynon teases his wife during breakfast. Captain Cat watches as Willy Nilly the postman goes about his morning rounds, delivering to Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard, Mrs. Pugh, Mog Edwards and Mr. Waldo ("It's another paternity summons").

At Mrs. Organ-Morgan's general shop, women gossip about the townspeople. Willy Nilly and his wife steam open a love letter from Mog Edwards to Myfanwy Price; he expresses fear that he may be in the poor house if his business does not improve. Mrs. Dai Bread Two swindles Mrs. Dai Bread One with a phony fortune in her crystal ball. Polly Garter scrubs floors and sings about her past paramours. Children play in the schoolyard; Gwennie urges the boys to "kiss her where she says or give her a penny." Gossamer Beynon and Sinbad Sailors privately desire each other.

During dinner, Mr. Pugh imagines poisoning Mrs. Pugh. Mrs. Organ-Morgan shares the day's gossip with her husband, but his only interest is the organ. The audience sees a glimpse of Lord Cut-Glass's insanity in his "kitchen full of time". Captain Cat dreams of his lost lover, Rosie Probert, but weeps as he remembers that she will not be with him again. Nogood Boyo fishes in the bay, dreaming of Mrs. Dai Bread Two and geishas.

On Llareggub Hill, Mae Rose Cottage spends a lazy afternoon wishing for love. Reverend Jenkins works on the White Book of Llareggub, which is a history of the entire town and its citizens. On the farm, Utah Watkins struggles with his cattle, aided by Bessie Bighead. As Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard becomes asleep, her husbands return to her. Mae Rose Cottage swears that she will sin until she explode.

As night begins, Reverend Jenkins recites another poem. Cherry Owen heads to the Sailors Arms, where Sinbad still longs for Gossamer Beynon. The town prepares for the evening, to sleep or otherwise. Mr. Waldo sings drunkenly at the Sailors Arms. Captain Cat sees his drowned shipmates-- and Rosie-- as he begins to sleep. Organ-Morgan mistakes Cherry Owen for Johann Sebastian Bach on his way to the chapel. Mog and Myfanwy write to each other before sleeping. Mr. Waldo meets Polly Garter in a forest. Night begins and the citizens of Llareggub return to their dreams again.

Characters

• Captain Cat - The old blind sea captain who dreams of his deceased shipmates and lost lover Rosie Probert. He is one of the play's most important characters, as he often acts as a narrator. He observes and comments on the goings-on in the village from his window.
• Rosie Probert - Captain Cat's deceased lover, who appears in his dreams.
• Myfanwy Price - The sweetshop-keeper who dreams of marrying Mog Edwards.
• Mr. Mog Edwards - The draper, enamored of Myfanwy Price. Their romance, however, is restricted strictly to the letters they write one another and their interactions in their dreams.
• Jack Black - The cobbler, who dreams of scaring away young couples.
• Evans the Death - The undertaker, who dreams of his childhood.
• Mr. Waldo - rabbit catcher, barber, herbalist, cat doctor, quack, dreams of his mother and his many unhappy, failed marriages. He is a notorious alcoholic and general troublemaker, and is involved in an affair with Polly Garter.
• Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard - The owner of a guesthouse, who dreams of nagging her two late husbands. She refuses to let anyone stay at the guesthouse because of her extreme penchant for neatness.
• Mr. Ogmore - Deceased, Linoleum salesman, late of Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard.
• Mr. Pritchard - Deceased, failed bookmaker, late of Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard. He committed suicide "ironically" by ingesting disinfectant.
• Gossamer Beynon - The schoolteacher (daughter of Butcher Beynon), dreams of a fox-like illicit love. During the day, she longs to be with Sinbad Sailors, but the two never interact.
• Organ Morgan - The church organ player, has perturbed dreams of music and orchestras within the village. His obsession with music bothers his wife intensely.
• Mrs. Organ Morgan - A shop owner who dreams of "silence," as she is disturbed during the day by Organ Morgan's constant organ-playing.
• Mr & Mrs Floyd - The cocklers, an elderly couple, seemingly the only couple to sleep peacefully in the village. They are mentioned only during the dream sequence.
• Utah Watkins - The farmer, dreams of counting sheep that resemble his wife.
• Ocky Milkman - The milkman, dreams of pouring his milk into a river, 'regardless of expense'.
• Mr. Cherry Owen - Dreams of drinking, and yet is unable to as the tankard turns into a fish, which he drinks.
• Mrs. Cherry Owen - Cherry Owen's devoted wife, who cares for him and delights in rehashing his drunken antics.
• Police Constable Attila Rees - The policeman, relieves himself into his helmet at night, knowing somehow he will regret this in the morning.
• Mr. Willy Nilly - The postman, dreams of delivering the post in his sleep, and physically knocks upon his wife as if knocking upon a door. In the morning they open the post together and read the town's news so he can relay it around the village.
• Mrs. Willy Nilly - who, because of her husband's knocking upon her, dreams of being spanked by her teacher for being late for school. She assists Willy Nilly in steaming open the mail.
• Mary Ann Sailors - 83 years old, dreams of the Garden of Eden. During the day she announces her age ("I'm 83 years, 3 months and a day!") to the town.
• Sinbad Sailors - The barman, dreams of Gossamer Beynon, who he cannot marry because of his grandmother's disapproval.
• Mae Rose Cottage - Seventeen and never been kissed, she dreams of meeting her "Mr. Right". She spends the day in the fields daydreaming, and unseen, draws lipstick circles around her nipples.
• Bessie Bighead - Hired help, dreams of the one man that kissed her "because he was dared".
• Butcher Beynon - The butcher, dreams of riding pigs and shooting wild giblets. During the day he enjoys teasing his wife about the questionable meat that he sells.
• Mrs. Butcher Beynon - Butcher Beynon's wife, dreams of her husband being persecuted for selling "owl's meat, dogs' eyes, manchop."
• Rev. Eli Jenkins - The reverend, poet and preacher, dreams of Eisteddfodau. Author of the White Book of Llareggub.
• Mr. Pugh - Schoolmaster, dreams of poisoning his domineering wife. He purchases a book named "Lives of the Great Poisoners" for ideas on how to kill Mrs. Pugh; however, he does not do it.
• Mrs. Pugh - The nasty and undesirable wife of Mr. Pugh.
• Dai Bread - The bigamist baker who dreams of harems.
• Mrs. Dai Bread One - Dai Bread's first wife, traditional and plain.
• Mrs. Dai Bread Two - Dai Bread's second wife, a mysterious and sultry gypsy.
• Polly Garter - An innocent young mother, who dreams of her many babies. During the day, she scrubs floors and sings of her lost love.
• Nogood Boyo - A lazy young fisherman who dreams peevishly of 'nothing', though he later fantasizes about Mrs. Dai Bread Two in a wet corset. He is known for causing shenanigans in the wash house.
• Lord Cut Glass - A man of questionable sanity, who dreams of the 66 clocks that he keeps in his house.
• Lily Smalls - Dreams of love and a fantasy life. She is the Beynons' maid, but longs for a more exciting life.
• Gwennie - A child in Llareggub, who insists that her male schoolmates "kiss her where she says or give her a penny".

Casting

Character	May 14, 1953 New York [10]	1954 BBC Radio	1963 BBC Radio	1972 Film	2003 BBC Radio	2011 Theatre Ink
First Voice	Dylan Thomas	Richard Burton	Richard Burton	Richard Burton	Richard Burton
Second Voice	Dion Allen	Richard Bebb		Ryan Davies	Siân Phillips
Captain Cat	Roy Poole	Hugh Griffith	Hugh Griffith	Peter O'Toole	Glyn Houston	Philip Halin
Rosie Probert	Nancy Wickwire	Rachel Thomas	Gwenyth Petty	Elizabeth Taylor	Mali Harries	Rosie McInnes
Polly Garter	Nancy Wickwire	Diana Maddox	Margo Jenkins	Ann Beach	Eiry Thomas	Bethany Lehman
Mr. Mog Edwards	Allen F. Collins	Dafydd Harvard	Aubrey Richards	Victor Spinetti	Matthew Rhys	Sam Raby
Myfanwy Price	Sada Thompson	Sybil Williams	Margo Jenkins	Glynis Johns	Lisa Palfrey	Mercer Gary
Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard	Sada Thompson	Dylis Davies	Dorothea Phillips	Siân Phillips	Christine Pritchard	Emma Weisberg
Mr. Ogmore	Allen F. Collins	David Close-Thomas	David Garfield	Dillwyn Owen	Sion Probert	Jonny Cohen
Mr. Pritchard	Dion Allen	Ben Williams	John Gill	Richard Davies	Islwyn Morris	Will Champion
Butcher Beynon	Allen F. Collins	Meredith Edwards	Richard Curnock	Hubert Rees	Sion Probert	Ezra Dulit-Greenberg
Gossamer Beynon	Nancy Wickwire	Gwenllian Owen	Margo Jenkins	Angharad Rees		Joyani Ghosh
The Rev. Eli Jenkins	Dylan Thomas	Philip Burton	T H Evans	Aubrey Richards	Wayne Forester	Jack Reibstein
Lily Smalls	Sada Thompson	Gwenyth Petty	Gwenyth Petty	Meg Wyn Owen	Catrin Rhys	Tess Vasiliadis
Mr. Pugh	Roy Poole	John Huw Jones	Raymond Llewellyn	Talfryn Thomas	Steffan Rhodri	Simon Wolfe
Mrs. Pugh	Nancy Wickwire	Mary Jones	Rachel Thomas	Vivien Merchant	Sara McGaughey	Aviva Galpert
Mary Ann Sailors	Sada Thompson	Rachel Thomas	Betty Lloyd-Davies	Rachel Thomas	Christine Pritchard	Indigo Asim
Sinbad Sailors	Allen F. Collins	Aubrey Richards	Talfryn Thomas	Michael Forrest	Steven Meo	Jonny Cohen
Dai Bread	Allen F. Collins	David Close-Thomas	John Gill	Dudley Jones		Jack Reibstein
Mrs. Dai Bread One	Sada Thompson	Gwenyth Petty	Guinevere Roberts	Dorothea Phillips	Mali Harries	Emma Weisberg
Mrs. Dai Bread Two	Nancy Wickwire	Rachel Roberts	Patricia Mort	Ruth Madoc	Sara McGaughey	Mercer Gary
Willy Nilly Postman	Dion Allen	Ben Williams	Mervyn Johns	Tim Wylton	Iestyn Jones	Ezra Dulit-Greenberg
Mrs Willy Nilly	Nancy Wickwire	Rachel Thomas	Rachel Thomas	Bronwen Williams	Eiry Thomas	Indigo Asim
Cherry Owen	Dion Allen	John Ormond Thomas	John Gill	Glynn Edwards	Andy Hockley	Dan Minahan
Mrs. Cherry Owen	Nancy Wickwire	Lorna Davies	Buddug Mair Powell	Bridget Turner	Ruth Jones	Rosie McInnes
Nogood Boyo	Allen F. Collins	Dillwyn Owen		David Jason		Dan Minahan
Organ Morgan	Roy Poole	John Glyn-Jones		Richard Parry		Simon Wolfe
Mrs Organ Morgan	Sada Thompson	Olwen Brookes		Dilys Price		Aviva Galpert
Mae Rose Cottage	Sada Thompson	Rachel Roberts		Susan Penhaligon	Catrin Rhys	Kate Lewis
Gwennie	Sada Thompson	Norma Jones		Olwen Rees		Tess Vasiliadis
Jack Black	Roy Poole			John Rees	Steffan Rhodri	Philip Halin
Evans the Death	Allen F. Collins			Mark Jones		Jonny Cohen
Mr. Waldo	Roy Poole			Ray Smith		Jacob Rosenberg
Utah Watkins	Allen F. Collins			David Davies		Sam Raby
Mrs. Utah Watkins	Nancy Wickwire			Maudie Edwards		Marianne Engelke
Ocky Milkman	Roy Poole			Griffith Davies		Dan Minahan
P.C. Attila Rees	Allen F. Collins			Davyd Harries
Bessie Bighead	Nancy Wickwire			Peggy Ann Clifford		Bethany Lehman
Mrs. Butcher Beynon	Nancy Wickwire			Mary Jones	Bethany Lehman
Lord Cut-Glass	Dion Allen			Dafydd Havard		Will Champion
Gomer Owen				Ieuan Rhys Williams
First Neighbor	Nancy Wickwire					Simon Wolfe
Second Neighbor	Sada Thompson					Joyani Ghosh
First Woman	Sada Thompson					Marianne Engelke
Second Woman	Nancy Wickwire					Joyani Ghosh
Child's Voice	Sada Thompson					Emma Weisberg
First Drowned	Allen F. Collins					Jonny Cohen
Second Drowned	Dylan Thomas					Sam Raby
Third Drowned	Allen F. Collins					Kate Lewis
Fourth Drowned	Dion Allen					Mercer Gary
Fifth Drowned	Dylan Thomas					Aviva Galpert
Voice of a Guide Book	Roy Poole				John Humphrys	Will Champion
Billy	Roy Poole					Sam Raby
Johnny Cristo	Dion Allen					Simon Wolfe
Dicky	Allen F. Collins					Jacob Rosenberg

Quotations

• To begin at the beginning: It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters'-and-rabbits' wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboatbobbing sea. - opening lines, spoken by First Voice
• We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood - prayer of the Reverend Eli Jenkins
• Black as a chimbley!
• And No-Good Boyo is up to no good... in the wash house.

References in other media

• The 1968 album The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks was inspired partly by Under Milk Wood, according to its creator, songwriter Ray Davies.
• The 1974 album Starless and Bible Black by King Crimson is named for a phrase used in the play (noted in the Quotations section above).
• Frank Zappa quotes, though not precisely, the passage about Mr. Pugh's plans to poison his wife during a 1979 London performance of "Nanook Rubs It," which appears as part of a "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" medley on the 1988 live album You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1.^[11]
• The Decemberists's song Billy Liar includes references to the character of Nogood Boyo, and his fantasy of Mrs. Dai Bread Two and the corset.

References

1. ^ Dylan Thomas: The Collected Letters edited by Paul Ferris. Macmillan 1985.
2. ^ The Dylan Thomas Trail, Y Lolfa 2002
3. ^ See pp285-313 of D N Thomas (2004)Dylan Remembered 1935-53, vol 2, Seren, as well as published articles collected at http://undermilkwood.webs.com
4. ^ Dylan's Llareggub map at The National Library of Wales's website
5. ^ The Burning Baby. Dated October 1934 in the 'Red Notebook' and first published in the magazine Contemporary Poetry and Prose, issue for May 1936. This information listed by Walford Davies in Dylan Thomas: Collected Stories. Phoenix, 2000.
6. ^ Dylan Thomas, 'Under Milk Wood', The Definitive Edition (Dent: 1995.) p. 91.
7. ^ Dylan Thomas: The Collected Letters edited by Paul Ferris. Macmillan 1985. Footnote by editor.
8. ^ Green Man Review, "Dylan Thomas Unabridged: The Caedmon Collection"[1]
9. ^ http://www.ozbabyboomers.com.au/theatre/2010/07_10/milk/milk.html
10. ^ Caedmon TC 2005: liner notes to 2-LP set. This reading has been reissued as part of an 11-CD boxed set of Dylan Thomas from The Caedmon Collection, but without the detailed cast listing or very extensive original liner notes, which clarify that Thomas was still rewriting the script until the time the performance began. This would explain any discrepancies in the text between this draft and the final published version. "Evans the Death" is here identified as "Thomas the Death".
11. ^ http://www.globalia.net/donlope/fz/lyrics/You_Can't_Do_That_On_Stage_Anymore_Vol_1.html#Yellow

External links

• Under Milk Wood - A Short History by Nicolas Soames (accompanying Naxos AudioBook CDs) [2]
• Dylan Thomas's two sketch maps of Llareggub. [3] (Click 'front' to get image, then click the image to enlarge it.)
• The writing of Under Milk Wood
• Under Milk Wood and Dylan Thomas' death
• Text of Under Milk Wood, from Project Gutenberg Australia.
• Clips of the beginning of the 1954 Richard Burton performance may be heard at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuPO2Kvqlms
• Under Milk Wood at the Internet Movie Database