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A CurtainUp Review
Do Not Go Gentle
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In my craft or sullen art/Exercised in the still night/When only the moon rages/
And the lovers lie abed.— Dylan Thomas
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Geraint Wyn Davies in Do Not Go Gentle
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Geraint Wyn Davies is not only a Welshman who bears a striking resemblance to the dead poet; he is also a fine actor with an impressive command of Shakespeare and a marvelous understanding of the poetic voice. His solo show, Do Not Go Gentle, written and directed by Leon Pownall, should be riveting not only for lovers of Thomas's poetry (this reviewer must confess she is one) but to everyone who responds to words that probe the mind and enrich the soul.
Pownall, also born in Wales, is a writer, director and actor who has performed at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and the Shaw Festival. Not surprisingly, his familiarity with the classics has given him a knowledge of literature that allows him to blend his voice seamlessly with Thomas's. Often it's hard to realize where one ends and the other begins.
Powell's script imagines what Thomas might have said and thought not long after he died. The great poet has lost none of his naughtiness or his sentimentality. His memories of his childhood in Wales are as vivid as they were in A Child's Christmas in Wales. He recalls the women he loved with a lusty joy, only somewhat tinged with regret for the pain he caused Caitlin, his wife and the mother of his three children.
Pownall dramatizes both Thomas's public success and the private insecurities that had him return frequently to the bottle for courage and comfort. However, Thomas never loses his magnificent voice, even when his hands tremble and his feet falter.
Davies is mesmerizing, whether he is reciting Shakespeare, playing Thomas or playing Thomas playing himself. Most of Thomas's great work is here: "Do not go gentle into that last goodnight" . . ."In My Craft or Sullen Art" . . . "Under Milk Wood". . ."The force that through the green fuse drives the flower." Davies makes the words reverberate and the images glow with the same passion that made Thomas so popular on tour.
Dylan Thomas died in 1953. But Geraint Wyn Davie is here in New York City until January 10, 2010.
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Do Not Go Gentle Written and Directed by Leon Pownall Performed by Geraint Wyn Davie Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre, 410 West 42 Street From 11/19/09; opening 12/06/09; closing 1/10/10 Wednesdays - Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 2:00pm and 8:00pm; and Sundays at 3:00pm Tickets: $31.25 in previews, then $41 (212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com Reviewed by Paulanne Simmons Dec. 18, 2009 |
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