Actor's tribute to a genius; VIEWPOINTS.

ON A warm evening, in the Edwardian splendour of the New Theatre, I was privileged to be part of an appreciative audience of all ages, spending two hours in the genial company of veteran Welsh actor Philip Madoc, who was presenting his one-man show An Evening of Dylan Thomas and Friends.

Not a large man, lightly bearded Philip Madoc stood centre stage, behind a simple lectern holding his notes, and held us in the spell of his mellifluous Welsh tones with acting extracts, poetry recitations, and anecdotes about his long acting career and the international stars he has performed with, such as Sophia Loren, Joan Crawford and Laurence Olivier.

But the evening was dominated by lengthy readings from Dylan Thomas' iconic works such as Under Milk Wood with its unforgettable starting words "To begin at the beginning: It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible black..." and including a reading of the sad poem Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night written on the death of Thomas' father.

As I drove home afterwards in the hurly-burly of Cardiff traffic, I felt slightly sad that so little is made of Dylan Thomas, the only Welsh writer who has made his mark internationally.

It seems obvious that non-Welsh-speaking Thomas has been sacrificed at the altar of the Welsh-language bureaucrats who are blind to a gem in their midst.

David Leverett Cyncoed, Cardiff

CAPTION(S):

Philip Madoc