SF Gate, May 2003

Dylan Thomas' “play for voices” illustrating a typical day in the tiny fishing village of Llareggub, Wales

-- Anna Mantzaris

Ever have one of those dreams you just can't shake? The townsfolk in Dylan Thomas' "Under Milk Wood" can relate. In Llareggub (yup, that's "bugger all" spelled backward), residents dream of conversing with dead husbands, picking flowers and remembering true love and life as royalty. Under the brilliant direction of Gina Pulice, the Shotgun Players celebrate the 50th anniversary of Thomas' acclaimed work, which chronicles 24 hours in the life of some eccentric characters. Whether a drunkard, a dressmaker or a schoolteacher, each voice of the town tells its unique story starting deep in the night and working its way through the next day. In this Welsh town, it's not unusual to find a postmaster who reads all the mail, a man that lives with 66 clocks (none of which keep accurate time) or a butcher that claims he eats his wife's cat for supper. Staged with top-notch performers who easily transition from one "voice" to the next, this bawdy, rich and surprisingly sentimental performance makes waking life all the more interesting.