Under the Milky Forest (radio play)
Unter dem Milchwald ( English Under Milk Wood ) is a radio play by the Welsh writer Dylan Thomas , which was originally broadcast on January 24, 1954 by the BBC on BBC 3 . Directed by Douglas Cleverdon (1903–1987), Richard Burton took over the role of the narrator.
Thomas wrote the piece in 1953, a few days before his death, as a commissioned work for the BBC. After being broadcast for the first time in the following year, it quickly became the most famous radio play in radio history. In the same year it was the first radio play to be awarded the Prix Italia .
A German version was first broadcast by NWDR Hamburg on September 20, 1954 . Erich Fried translated and edited the extremely difficult original text into playable German. Many well-known actors were involved in the production as speakers. Up to the present four other productions have been created in Germany, most recently in 2006, a dialect radio plays in Low German ..
The piece was later adapted for the stage and filmed in 1972 and 2015 (director: Kevin Allen ). The director of the film version of 1972 took Andrew Sinclair .
content
It's spring. The night is Bible black. No moon and no stars light up the sky. This is how the day begins in the small fictional fishing village of Llareggub on the Welsh coast. Sensual metaphor, songs, voices and numerous sound effects paint an audio picture of the life of a village community during a single day. The omniscient narrator acquaints the listener with the dreams and innermost thoughts of the inhabitants. So we overhear the conversations in a seafarer's tavern, visit the schoolhouse, get an insight into the secret bridal chambers of unmarried girls, learn about the dreams of the blind captain Cat and hear about the love life of the bigame baker Dai Bread. Even people's self-talk and thoughts are not hidden. The listener becomes aware of the lovers' letters and many of their sighs and looks into the abyss of a human soul, where fantasies of suppressed lust for murder spread.
Production overview of the German radio plays
Version from 1954
- Under the Milk Forest - Production: NWDR Hamburg ; Translation and editing: Erich Fried ; Composition: Siegfried Franz ; Director: Fritz Schröder-Jahn . First broadcast: September 20, 1954 | 91'10 minutes.
- Speaker:
- Gisela von Collande : Polly Carter
- Paul Bildt : Eli Jenkins
- Heinz Sailer : Captain Cat
- Herbert AE Böhme : Eli Dai bread
- Ilse Bally : Mrs. Dai Bread I
- Inge Meysel : Mrs. Dai Bread II
- Fritz Wagner : Beyons butcher
- Elly Burgmer : Mrs. Beyons
- Edda Seippel : Lily Smalls
- Ruth Hellberg : Miss Price
- Heinz Klevenow : Mr. Edwards
- Lotte Brackebusch : Mrs. Morgan
- Rudolf Fenner : Jack Black
- Ludwig Cremer : 1st voice
- Dietrich Haugk : 2nd voice
- Helga Bammert : Mother
- Kornelia buoy : little girl / child
- Manfred Steffen : Mr. Pritchard
- Kurt Klopsch : Boyo useless
- Heinz Roggenkamp : 2nd fisherman
- Josef Dahmen : 1st drowned man
- Werner Rundshagen : 2nd drowned man
- Helmut Peine : Organ Morgan
- Alexander Hunzinger : Willy-Nilly
- Charlotte Kramm : Mrs. Willy-Nilly
- Hermann Beyer : Old man
- Eric Schildkraut : Ocky Milchmann
- Helmuth Gmelin : Lord crystal glass
- Liselotte Willführ : Mrs. Waldo
- Erna Nitter : Mrs. Watkins
- Wolfgang Rottsieper : Sindbad
- Ingrid von Bothmer : 1st neighbor / other 1st wife
- Ursula Noack : 2nd neighbor / 2nd wife
- Vera Gruber : Another 2nd wife
- Horst Beck : Mr. Pugh
- Eva Fiebig : Mrs. Pugh
- Jo Wegener : Rosie Probert
- Marga Maasberg : Bessie Großkopf
- Hermann Kner : Mr. Cherry Owen
- Charlotte Schellenberg : Different mother
- Ursula von Bose : 3rd neighbor / another 4th wife
- Andreas von der Meden : Boy
- and many others
- Publications:
- CD edition: Der Hörverlag 2003
- CD edition: The Hörverlag 2014
Version from 1969
- Under the milk forest. A game for voices - Production: BR and WDR ; Translation: Erich Fried; Editing: Christoph Buggert ; Composition: Enno Dugend ; Director: Raoul Wolfgang Schnell . First broadcast: September 5, 1969 | 64'08 minutes.
- Speaker:
- Hanns Ernst Jäger : 1st narrator
- Christoph Quest : 2nd narrator
- Wolfgang Reichmann : Captain Cat
- Herbert Mensching : r. Ogmore
- Erika von Thellmann : Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard
- Hans Herrmann-Schaufuss : Mr. Pritchard
- Alfred Balthoff : Mr. Pugh
- Louise Martini : Polly Garter
- Benno Sterzenbach : Mr. Waldo
- Friedrich Maurer : Hon. Jenkins
- Max Mairich : Mr. Beynon
- Bruni Löbel : Mrs. Beynon
- Gertrud Kückelmann : Gossamer Beynon
- Christiane Schröder : Lilly Smalls
- Hans Clarin : Mr. Willy-Billy
- Christa Berndl : Rosie Probert
Version from 1990
- Unter dem Milchwald - Production: Rundfunk der DDR ; Translation: Erich Fried; Dramaturgy: Dietrich Grollmitz ; Composition: Joachim Schmutzler ; Director: Fritz Göhler . First broadcast: April 12, 1990 | 77'22 minutes.
- Speaker:
- Horst Hiemer : First voice
- Horst Lebinsky : Second voice
- Harald Warmbrunn : Captain Cat
- Dietmar Obst :
- Eckhard Bilz :
- Rainer Büttner :
- Gerald Schaale :
- Christa Keller :
- Helmut Müller-Lankow :
- Gisa Stoll :
- Günter Sonnenberg :
- Irmgard Düren :
- Heide Kipp :
- NN: further roles
Version from 2003
- Under the Milk Forest - Production: MDR ; Composition: Peter Kaizar ; Editing and direction: Götz Fritsch . First broadcast: November 11, 2003 | 88'02 minutes.
- Speaker:
- Harry Rowohlt : First voice
- Boris Aljinovic : Second voice
- Hilmar Thate : Captain Cat
- Irm Hermann : Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard
- Ursula Karusseit : Rosie Probert
- Ulrike Krumbiegel : Polly Garter
- Winfried Glatzeder : Willy Nilly
- Fritz Lichtenhahn : Mr. Pugh
- Gerd Baltus : Mr. Ogmore
- Heidemarie Schneider : Mrs. Watkins
- Dieter Vienna : Mr. Edwards
- Gudrun Ritter : Mrs. Pugh
- Karin Gregorek : Miss Price
- Herbert Fritsch : Travel Guide
- Victor Deiß : Dai bread
- Susann Thiede : Gossamer Beynon
- Götz Schulte : First drowned man
- Hendrik Arnst : Third drowned man
- Käthe Reichel : Mary Ann Seafarer
- Stefan Wigger : Eli Jenkins
- Klaus Herm : Mr. Pritchard
- Thomas Neumann : Fischer
- Bärbel Röhl : Mrs. Beynon
- Carl Heinz Choynski : Jack Black
- Brigitte Röttgers : Mrs. Orgel-Morgan
- Horst Lebinsky : Preacher
- Udo Kroschwald : Mr. Waldo
- Axel Werner : Sindbad
- Peter Wawerzinek : Second drowned man
- Sophie Rois : Mrs. Dai Bread Two
- Steffen Schult : Boyo useless
- Christine Schorn : Mrs. Sherry Owen
- Margit Bendokat : Third wife and mother
- Stefanie Stappenbeck : Lily Smalls
- Carmen-Maja Antoni : Second neighbor
- Effi Rabsilber : Mae Rose Cottage
- Heidrun Bartholomäus : Mother Two
- Horst Hiemer: Organ Morgan
- Cornelia Lippert : Mrs. Willy Nilly
- Jaschka Lämmert : Second female voice
- Doris Abeßer : Second wife
- Hildegard Alex : First wife
- Hans-Joachim Hegewald : Butcher Beynon
- Klaus Manchen : Utah Watkins
- Martin Seifert : Cherry Owen
- and many others
- Awards:
- German Audio Book Award 2006 Best of all (CD Edition)
- 2nd place hr2 audio book best list June 2005 (CD edition)
- 2nd place hr2 audio book best list July 2014 (CD edition with productions by BBC, NDR Kultur and mdr figaro )
- Publications:
- CD edition: Der Hörverlag 2005
- CD edition: The Hörverlag 2014
Low German version from 2006
- Ünner the Melkwoold. A game for voices - Production: RB and NDR ; Translation: Hartmut Cyriacks , Peter Nissen ; Editing: Jochen Schütt ; Composition: Serge Weber ; Editing and direction: Hans Helge Ott . First broadcast: November 25, 2006 | 50'32 minutes.
- Speaker:
- Walter Kreye : Narrator
- Rolf Nagel : Captain Katt
- Claus Boysen : Elias Jepsen
- Ursula Hinrichs : Mrs. Osmers-Peters / Fro Jan Broot Twee
- Jochen Schenck : Mr. Osmers
- Heino Stichweh : Mr. Peters / Count Untiedt
- Heidi Mahler : Fro Pogg / Fro Wolle Behrmann
- Peter Kaempfe : Mr. Pogg
- Wilfried Dziallas : Mr. Beinker / 4. Drowned man
- Birte Kretschmer : Gundula Beinker / Fro Walden
- Erkki Hopf : Mr. Walden
- Beate Kiupel : Fro Willy Prost / Fro Orgel Meyer / 1. neighbor
- Jasper Vogt : Willy Post
- Robert Eder : Organ Meyer / 2. Drowned man
- Sandra Keck : Rosi Pröve / Janne Hoosband
- Meike Meiners : Miss Hermine Priess
- Rolf Petersen : Sindbad Seemann
- Uta Stammer : Fro Seemann
- Beate Prahl : Lilly Littmann / Fro Jan Broot Eeen
- Frank Grupe : Jan Broot
- Nils Owe Krack : Dedel Dagdeef / 1. Drowned man
- Ingrid Waldau : 2nd neighbor
- Oskar Ketelhut : Mucki Edmunds / 3. Drowned man
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Why Under Milk Wood is the greatest radio play ever by Jasper Reese in "The Telegraph" on March 27, 2014.
- ↑ Vincent Canby : Under Milk Wood (1971) , New York Times, January 22, 1973
- ↑ ARD audio game database (Unter dem Milchwald, NWDR Hamburg 1954)