Spectrum Centre, Inverness, 6 June 2007

Bob Kingdom as Dylan Thomas.

AS A BOY I attended a Secondary Modern School on the banks of the river Mersey. High status amongst my peers was only gained by putting a football in the back of a net or by shoplifting cigarettes for consumption behind the toilets.

It is odd, then, that Dylan Thomas should be the reason for my, all be it brief, elevation to hero status. My year were to attend a showing of ‘Under Milk Wood’, a prospect not relished by most of my fellow pupils.

From my knowledge of Dylan’s work I was able to point out, however, that, if the directors followed the script of Thomas’ radio play faithfully, there were at least two possible occurrences of female nudity.

For the first time in my school career I had actually demonstrated that knowledge of poetry could be of practical use, and as I recited the relevant passages, my peers hung on my every word.

I still retain a fondness for the Welsh bard to this day, and was keen to see Robert Kingdom’s portrayal of Thomas in this Eden Court in Exile production. From the moment he walked on to the stage Kingdom was Thomas, and I had to keep reminding myself that I was watching an actor and not the man himself.

He shuffled towards the lectern with all the world-weariness and alcoholic moroseness that Thomas himself exuded in his work. Kingdom perfectly captured the rhythm and the lyrical quality of Thomas’ writing, and that he composed the play himself from the writing of Thomas reveals that he himself must share the poet’s love of language.

Kingdom has performed his one-man play across the world and received rave reviews from New York to Australia. This was much more than an impersonation. Kingdom seemed to me to inhabit the world, personality and writing of Thomas in a way I have rarely witnessed.

He seamlessly switched between the poetry and prose of Thomas, displaying the lyrical quality of poetry with great skill and then exposing the wit of Thomas’ prose with equal ability.

My only regret is that I wanted to know more about Thomas, to see behind the public face that his work revealed. We were told about his troubles with money and alcohol but there is often darkness about Thomas’ work and I would have liked to have seen that darkness explored a little more.

Perhaps that darkness is a trait among Welsh writers. I have certainly noticed it in the work of some Welsh comedians, Rhod Gilbert being a good example. I suspect that many who enter the world of comedy would, if born sixty years ago, have been poets. Certainly many comedians have a similar love of language and there were times when Kingdom’s portrayal of Thomas came close to stand up.

Possibly a darker sense and a longing for lost youth and times past are also a Celtic trait. I have noticed them in the work of some northern Scottish poets. If you are looking for a Highland Dylan Thomas, I think you could look to the work of Wick’s David Morrison. His portrait of his hometown has echoes of Thomas’s work and Morison’s’ love of language is equally in evidence.

Unfortunately Kingdom was heckled throughout his performance by a group of seagulls, no doubt drunk on vinegar from the chips of tourists, launching their cries from the Spectrum Centre roof.

The venue is much improved by raked seating providing a real theatrical ambience, but the soundproofing is in dire need of strengthening. It is also a pity that the centre’s foyer/bar could not be improved as, during the ten minute interval, you could not help feeling that you were back in the 1960s waiting for a bus that might never arrive.

Above all Kingdom’s performance left you feeling that you had glimpsed Thomas, even if from a great distance. For me it made me remember the joy I had found in reading Thomas’ work for the first time and left me wanting to return to it. In that the play was a complete success.

Regrettably when my classmates and I watched ‘Under Milk Wood’, there were no naughty bits. I was not blamed – it was agreed by all that the cast had cheated by not sticking to the script.

Later that year we were scheduled to see ‘Hamlet’, and I was again consulted, although this time I had to reveal that, despite carefully scrutinising the pages, Shakespeare had kept his ladies covered.

© John Burns, 2007