Under Milk Wood is as underwhelming as my word play.  This is more of a Freshers’ recital than a Freshers’ play, a questionable adaptation of Dylan Thomas' radio drama about the lives of the residents of a sleepy Welsh village.  Two narrators read ever more conspicuously from their notebooks as the play goes on, an indictment of how much the script values verbosity over action.

Luke Sumner and Kenza Jemite’s direction shows some imaginative thinking.  The lighting and smoke effects as Mr. Pugh plots poison for his wife are just the kind of overblown surreal touch the play needs.  It is a shame that the staging is not consistently so bold, and that a number of issues have clearly not been paid due attention.  Removing a bed from the stage is a to-me-to-you farce, while Katy Dent is tasked with acting through a photo frame large enough only for the column seated directly in front of her to see her face.

Some of the performances are commendable, and two actors in particular I hope to see again. George Longworth has a strong presence, and it is always a relief when he returned to the stage, even as Daisy the cow.  Still more talented is Rebecca Phillips, the only member of the cast who manages to bring really convincing emotional depth to her characterisations.  One thing to credit the choice of play is the number of parts, and a "come-and-have-a-go" feel can be no bad thing for a Fresher show.  But the cast as a whole are nowhere close to meeting the play’s requirement for a series of strong, individuated cameo roles.  

The few snippets of goodness in this production are, however, killed by its length.  Late shows need to respect the fact that they are keeping people up.  I can forgive one for running past midnight; past twelve-fifteen, it had better be very good; once it gets beyond half twelve, things start to feel malicious.  That is not to say that this production would be any less dull as a main show, but the time of night compounds the tedium – there were audible sighs of despair from the audience when the last scene just would, not, end. I should note that this is the fault not of anyone involved, but of the CUADC Committee for selecting the show for this time slot.

I feel mean panning a Fresher show, especially one that showcases a fair amount of talent.  But it would also be unfair to audiences to urge them to come and spend their money and time here.  If the directors of Cambridge agree with me about the talented members of this cast, you will get a chance to see them in something else very soon – I urge you to wait until then.

Under Milk Wood runs until Saturday at the ADC, 11pm