Welsh actor Geraint Wyn Davies will portray the legendary Welsh poet, playwright and author of "Under Milk Wood," Dylan Thomas in Leon Pownall's play DO NOT GO GENTLE, previewing Off-Broadway starting November 19 prior to opening December 6, 2009 at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre (410 West 42 Street) in Manhattan.
Mr. Wyn Davies - whose most recent performances include an acclaimed Polonius in "Hamlet" as well as Bottom on "Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada - returns to Dylan Thomas in DO NOT GO GENTLE, a play he has performed at the Stratford Festival and elsewhere in the U.S.
A play that the late Mr. Pownall himself first performed, the Welsh writer eventually re-wrote DO NOT GO GENTLE for his longtime friend, Mr. Wyn Davies, himself a Welshman. Mr. Pownall's direction of the play is realized in this production by Dean Gabourie.
DO NOT GO GENTLE finds the Dylan Thomas in Purgatory, reflecting on the influences in his life that brought him there. From stories of his childhood, to his marital regrets and his success in America, these reflections run from the tragic to the humorous to the downright fantastic.
Considered one of the great poets of the 20th century, Dylan Thomas was born in Wales in 1914. His first book of poetry, "Eighteen Poems" was released to critical acclaim. Other works of renown include "And death shall have no dominion," "Do not go gentle into that good night," and "Deaths and Entrances." "Under Milk Wood" remains his most famous work, with its depiction of the lives of the people in a small, Welsh seaside town. A popular lecturer who was noted for the dynamic readings of his own verse, as well as the works of other playwrights, he enjoyed great success in the U.S. during lecture tours that earned him a wide following. An inveterate drinker with a history of other ailments, Thomas died in New York in 1953 at the age of 39.
In addition to his numerous performances with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival - including in "Julius Caesar" and "Macbeth" - Geraint Wyn Davies is a Helen Hayes Award winner for his performance as "Cyrano" at Washington, DC's Shakespeare Theatre Company, where he has also appeared in "Love's Labor's Lost." He appeared at Lincoln Center's Beaumont Theatre opposite Christopher Plummer in "King Lear." His numerous television credits include the title character Nick Knight on "Forever Knight," "24," "ReGenesis," and "Airwolf." Wyn Davies appeared with Leon Pownall in the award-winning television series "Slings and Arrows."
Of his performances in Stratford's "Midsummer" in 2009, The New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood wrote, "The standout performance comes in the role of Bottom, played by Geraint Wyn Davies, a terrific Shakespearean actor...[a] thoroughly winning performance." Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press wrote, "The Stratford Shakespeare Festival has been the home to such starry actors as Christopher Plummer, Brian Bedford and, more recently, Colm Feore - each a s superb performer able to negotiate major classical roles with astonishing dexterity. Surely, it's time to elevate Geraint Wyn Davies to this illustrious club."
Leon Pownall (Playwright/Director) worked as a professional actor, writer and director for over 35 years, until his death in 2006. As an actor, Pownall performed at the Stratford festival, Theatre Calgary, the Atlantic Theatre Festival, the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, the Shaw Festival, etc. His directing credits include: TAMING OF THE SHREW, BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR, and A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Atlantic Theatre Festival). Pownall also wrote the solo play - Robertson Davies FOREVER JUNG.
