INTERVIEW: Relive Dylan Thomas’ youth at Irish Rep
Photo: Margaret Dudasik, Polly McKie, Naomi Louisa O’Connell, Dewey Caddell, Nicholas Barasch and Ashley Robinson star in Irish Rep’s 2018 production of A Child’s Christmas in Wales. Photo courtesy of Carol Rosegg / Provided by Matt Ross PR with permission.
Dylan Thomas may have lived a relatively short life in the 20th century, but his poetry and prose continue to inspire and engage audiences to this day. The Welsh writer is currently being celebrated at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City with their return engagement of the holiday favorite A Child’s Christmas in Wales.
The production, which runs through Dec. 30, stars Nicholas Barasch and a company of actor-singers who recreate many of the stories of Thomas’ youth. There is singing by the fireside, sweets to be enjoyed and reflection on the year that was (and wasn’t).
Barasch, who leads the storytelling for the evening, has appeared several times on Broadway, including in 2009’s West Side Story, 2012’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood and 2016’s She Loves Me. He is delighted to be joining director Charlotte Moore, co-founder of the Irish Rep, and this company of performers for the annual tradition of A Child’s Christmas in Wales.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox spoke with Barasch about his time in the show. Here’s what he had to say:
On how he forged a connection with the Irish Rep …
“I actually did a reading with Irish Rep over the summer, a wonderful new musical called The Butcher Boy written by Asher Muldoon, who is a young prodigy of musical theater. It was a weeklong 29-hour reading, and that went very well.
“A couple months later, they asked me to get on board with this. It was a very quick process, and I accepted. We went right into rehearsals. It was kind of a no-brainer for me. I loved working for them, and I was just happy to tackle something else with them.”
On whether he knew much about Dylan Thomas before taking the role …
“My dad is a huge fan of Dylan Thomas and his poetry. I had never heard of him, which is pretty shameful if you’re into literature and theater, but I looked into it. I did some research. I read the script, which at first it’s pretty dense. It takes a few read-throughs to understand it and to get in that mindset, but I was thrilled to tackle this beautiful language.”
On the recasting of his role from an older actor to a younger one …
“Well, it’s interesting because in previous productions my role has been played by older gentlemen — so Howard McGillin, John Cullum. … I didn’t know what role they wanted me to play because I assumed that the lead role would be an older person, but it made sense to me because we’re really up there telling the key parts of Dylan Thomas’ young life around Christmastime. And so to have it told by a young person — I mean, I’m not 12, but I’m young enough — made sense, so I think it aligns more with his memories and living in his past.”
On the Christmas songs that are sung in the production …
“It’s this wonderful concoction of Christmas music. You have your traditional Christmas songs. We sing ‘Deck the Halls.’ We sing ‘Silent the Night,’ and then you have a couple Welsh hymns the audience may not be familiar with. …
“And we do sing in Welsh, which is very fun. It was difficult to learn the cadence and the speech pattern of Welsh. It’s an interesting, difficult language, and then you have some original songs written by our director, Charlotte Moore, the multi-talented Charlotte Moore. So, yeah, it’s a lot of different styles, but they somehow come together really nicely and complement Dylan’s prose.”
On working with Charlotte Moore …
“She is awesome. She is a legend. I’m in awe of her. First of all, to start a company such as Irish Rep and keep it going, I mean it’s so well respected, 30 years strong now. I think part of their success, a huge part of it, is that Charlotte Moore and Ciarán O’Reilly, the founders, are both actors themselves. They understand the craft. They put the actors first. They put the work first, and they’re so generous. That’s why people love working with them.”
On his first foray into theater …
“I started doing community theater when I was 8 or 9 years old. I took an unconventional path. I got an agent at age 9, and I started going out on professional auditions.
“My first big role was in West Side Story, the 2009 Broadway revival, which was surreal and bizarre. I soaked a lot in back then, and I’ve continued to work thankfully.
“And now I’m 20 and entering the adult side of things, the adult world of acting. I think my love for the art form has definitely grown since then. I think when you’re a kid, it’s all fun and games, and now I understand the hard work that has to go into that.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
A Child’s Christmas in Wales runs through Dec. 30 at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
