DYLAN THOMAS AT ST CLEMENTS

Rajesh Gopie’s Shake, Rattle And Payrole, due to be presented at St Clements tonight (February 27), has been postponed and will now be presented in March.

Pieter Scholtz, Margaret Logan and James Parker will read two pieces written for radio by Dylan Thomas: Return Journey and Holiday Memory.

These two pieces show the full range of this tempestuous and meticulous artist who once cheerfully claimed that he had beast, angel and madman within him.

Return Journey : In February 1941, Swansea was bombed by the German Luftwaffe in a “three nights’ blitz”. Castle Street was just one of the many streets in Swansea that suffered badly, the rows of shops, including the Kardomah Café, were destroyed. Thomas later wrote about this in his radio play Return Journey in which he describes the café as being “razed to the snow”. Return Journey was first broadcast on June 15, 1947, having been written soon after the bombing raids.’

Holiday Memory: August Bank Holiday. “A tune on an ice-cream cornet. A slap of sea and a tickle of sand. A fanfare of sunshades opening. A wince and whinny of bathers dancing into deceptive water. A tuck of dresses. A lark of boys. A silent hullabaloo of balloons.”

St Clements is situated at 191 Musgrave Road on the right-hand side a short way down Musgrave after the St Thomas Road intersection. Mondays at Seven run between 19h00 and 20h00. Booking is advised on 031 202 2511. There is no cover charge but there is a donations box to support presenters.