HALF a century after his untimely death following a whisky-drinking binge in New York City, the words of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas are as powerfully lyrical as ever.

And rarely more so than in his play Under Milk Wood. Written for the radio but adapted widely for the stage, it was one of Thomas' final works.

Heavily influenced by James Joyce's Ullyses, it tells, through dreams and gossip, the story of a day in the lives and loves of the inhabitants of a small coastal town in South Wales.

Tonight the newly formed Wales Theatre Company directed by Michael Bogdanov bring their critically acclaimed new version of this classic to the Lighthouse in Poole. It will run until Saturday.

Bogdanov, who is something of a Thomas scholar, has used the original text from the poet's own BBC broadcasts in 1953 and says that he hopes he has drawn out much of its previously unexploited humour.

"While Dylan Thomas was a wonderful reciter and reader of his own verse, it tended to be very ascetic and not known for its humour whereas Under Milk Wood is full of wonderful witty material.

Unfortunately, says Bogdanov, when he came to broadcasting the play Thomas was incapable of doing anything but reading it in the voice he used for his poetry.

"His sonorous tones were emulated by Richard Burton in the famous radio recording and indeed the film. The result is that we have this legacy that has rather taken away the fact that this is actually a very, very scurrilously funny piece.

"I've tried to draw out the humour and get away from the holy renditions that seem to have characterised so much of the stuff that has appeared, not so much in the theatre perhaps, but certainly on radio, film and CD."

There are few people better placed that Bogdanov to achieve this. Over the past 30 years he has directed no fewer than nine productions of the play including ones in German and Japanese. He also has an impressive collection of Thomas first editions.

This latest venture, which stars an all-Welsh cast led by Matthew Rhys, has certainly pleased both critics and audiences alike. It has also received the blessing of Dylan Thomas' daughter Aeronwy who described it as "the best version" she had ever seen. Praise indeed when you think she's seen some 200 different

versions.

As Bogdanov reckons this production, conceived specially to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Thomas' death, may well mark the start of a new wave of interest in the writer's work that is likely to grow as we get closer to the centenary of his birth in 10 years time.

"After his death there was quite a lot of Thomas hysteria but then he went through a period of being rather devalued and rather under-rated. Recently there's been a bit of a come-back and quite rightly so because when you read his stuff it is clear that he was simply the most extraordinary lyric poet of the twentieth century."

Under Milk Wood by The Wales Theatre Company directed by Michael Bogdanov opens at Lighthouse in Poole tonight and runs until Saturday (March 13). There are performances at 7.30pm each evening and 2.30pm matinees on Wednesday and Saturday.

For bookings call 01202 685222.