Dylan Townley stars in Milky Peaks at Theatr Clwyd, the production will receive its world première on 1 April having closed following its first technical rehearsal in March 2020 due to the pandemic.
In the world première of Milky Peaks, Alex Swift directs original cast members Matthew Blake (Pariah), Seiriol Davies (Dewi), Dylan Townley (A Wall/Bar).
The production opens at Theatr Clwyd on Friday 1 April with press night on Thursday 7 April until 22 April followed by a tour of venues in Wales. More information can be found here.
You’re starring in Milky Peaks at Theatr Clwyd, what can you tell us about it?
Milky Peaks is a glittering musical about a perfectly normal community in Snowdonia that gets nominated for Britain’s Best Town Award, which is lovely. But we soon discover the award has a dark, insidious far-right agenda.
Three lost souls and a shabby drag queen might – might – save the community’s heart. The show has plenty of fabulous songs, a chorus of queer mountain spirits, and a confetti explosion. So something for everyone!
What excites you most about working on this kind of comedy musical?
As a co-deviser and music director I’ve loved hearing the songs evolve from our first sing-throughs round a piano to full-harmony numbers with an excellent cast. The music is inspired by a wide range of styles from Welsh folk to Flashdance to church choirs and dubstep, and the inhabitants of Milky Peaks have similarly varied emotional worlds – so when they meet and mix, exciting things happen both musically and in the plot…
What do you like most about the role(s) you are playing?
My main roles are playing the music onstage and being part of the chorus, which are heaps of fun, but at one point I also get to play a pedantic barman. He’s not someone you’d ever want to actually buy a drink from or talk to, but any audience member who comes to the show thinking that ‘irregardless’ is a word will leave changed forever.
You’ve worked with the team before, how does it feel being reunited and what are the challenges and opportunities that come with working together again?
It’s wonderful being reunited with the team who made How To Win Against History. Their insights and inventiveness surprise me all the time. Milky Peaks gives us the opportunity to make something on a bigger scale: the musical and comedic language of HTWAH is writ large in Milky Peaks, and we can try things here that we only dreamed of when we were doing an hour-long show at the Edinburgh Fringe.
This opportunity is also due to the unwavering support and brilliance of Theatr Clwyd, who are the ideal partners for the show creatively and practically. The main challenge has been making cuts: we could fill an album or two with songs we love but which weren’t essential to telling the story. Hopefully this means there are plenty of sweet hooks banked for the next one!
How does it feel to finally be bringing this to the stage after a delay of two years?
A bit emotional! We’ve all been through a lot. Live shows feel very different now, both being in the audience and on stage. This one in particular has been a long time coming, and is about what a community is and how we try (and sometimes fail) to live together. There were definitely times over the past two years where we weren’t sure whether this show would see the light of day. And here we are! Phew!
What are you looking forward to most about taking the show on a tour of Wales?
I’m really looking forward to audiences meeting the show on tour. We hope it addresses in the sparkliest way possible current concerns about identity, community, and how to stand against resurgent fascism. If the show helps ignite conversations, or if people come away humming fun songs, we’ll be delighted. That, and obviously I can’t wait to see the inside of the country’s best service stations.
What would you say to anyone thinking about coming to see Milky Peaks?
To any potential audience member I would quote the show’s Disney-esque opening number: ‘Come, you need to come, you need to come!’. And if there were a piano nearby, I would even play the whole song for them, like a real-life autoplay trailer from Netflix. You’re welcome.
