Under Milk Wood at the National Theatre

To my shame I'd not seen, or even heard, this play for voices, so famous, with one of the most legendary openings - "To begin at the beginning".

And it was a revelation. The bitter-sweet setting for the play, newly-created at the National Theatre, with additional material by Sian Owen, is that of a care home; old man Jenkins, visited by his writer-son, is given moments of heart-rending lucidity through stirred-up memories, the eccentric characters and lives of someone's village of yesteryear coming to life through Thomas's poetry in sharp-eyed, playful, delighted commentary.

The spoken words slip past so fast that you want to put it all into slow-motion, to say "hold on, I want to drink in and relish that thought, that new-minted image which lands so lightly before skittering away in another direction". I want to pause and "hear the dew falling".

Passages, short scenes, stayed with me for hours beyond the evening - the blind Captain Cat hearing and recognising his neighbours' steps and from those steps knowing their feelings; the postie knowing and relating the contents of letters as he delivered them to the recipients; the still hen-pecked ghosts of husbands of Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard; the arsenic-tea for Mrs Pugh.

There were peerless ensemble performances from the 14-strong company. Michael Sheen heartfelt and powerful as Owain Jenkins. Karl Johnson very touching as his father, Siân Phillips, a memorable Mrs Watkins, Mrs Baynon and the wistful Polly Garter. Michael Elwyn and the rest slip effortlessly through multiple roles under superbly directed by Lyndsey Turner.

I'm sure my enthusiasm for the play was not just a result of my longing to return to the theatre at last being satisfied; this is a production which deserves a longer life than just a few more weeks (it closes on 24th July). It is to be hoped that the outstanding, mostly older, cast, led by the superb Michael Sheen, will be able to stage this again in the not-too distant future.

For more information & bookings see the National Theatre website: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/under-milk-wood

Visit the National Theatre Youtube channel here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDq1XzCY0NIOYVJvEMQjqw