One great actor, two solo shows

Guy Masterson
Under Milk Wood
October 20-22
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre
Shylock
October 19-22
Herald Theatre
Auckland

The Olivier Award-winning British actor Guy Masterson will be bringing two solo shows to Auckland later this month – Dylan Thomas’s masterpiece Under Milk Wood and a comedic Shylock, based on Shakespeare’s notorious character.
Masterson skilfully recreates 69 characters in the famed Welsh play Under Milk Wood, set over the course of a day in a small seaside village. Internationally acclaimed and with over 2000 performances over two decades, this astonishing performance is the cornerstone of Masterson’s solo career. Bawdy and beautiful, sad and sensual, this multi-character masterpiece is a powerful interpretation of Dylan Thomas’ lyrical epic.
His second work, Shylock, written by Gareth Armstrong explores the tragic, tempestuous fate of one of literature’s most famous Jewish figures – the conniving moneylender of William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. Delving into stereotypes and identity, and with references from the Bible to Dracula, the show spans 400 years of Shakespearean interpretations and over 2000 years of history, in just 90 minutes. This poignant performance celebrates the beauty of language, the power of history and the magic of theatre.
Following in the footsteps of his famous uncle, Richard Burton, Guy Masterson is a British-born actor, theatre director and producer based in London. Coincidentally, Burton made a very famous BBC radio recording of Under Milk Wood in 1954.
A graduate of the London Academy of Drama, Masterson has carved out a theatre career with an aptitude for solo performances, including his one-hander adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. His direction of the West End show Morecambe won the production a prestigious Olivier Award for Best Entertainment in 2010.
In addition, Masterson is one of the most successful and award-winning independent theatre producers at the Edinburgh Festival, having presented over 150 shows in 22 years.
Guy Masterson has toured to New Zealand numerous times over the past 20 years, including a sold-out season of Under Milk Wood at the Herald Theatre in 1999.
He worked with local playwrights Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis to bring Krishnan’s Dairy to the Edinburgh Festival and has forged connections with some of New Zealand's leading theatre practitioners.