Old North State

Here’s to the land of the long leaf pine, the summer land where the sun doth shine…

As sung by the Red Clay Ramblers on the all-new Old North State album, please download and enoy this “gift of music”, a lovely musicalized setting of our beloved state toast, penned by  Jack Herrick and Bland Simpson. Click here to download, print, and take right to your parlor after supper, raise a glass and your voice in song!

This brand new musical version of Dylan Thomas’s classic A Child’s Christmas in Wales comes to theatres across Wales this autumn courtesy of Wales Theatre Company. This will be the first production that the Dylan Thomas estate has authorised since 1981, and promises to be full of the magic of Thomas’s rhythms alongside 15 new songs by award winning instrumentalist and composer Jack Herrick, and a glittering line up of Welsh performers including Llinos Daniel, Dion Davies, Kathryn Dimmery, Russell Gomer, Terry Mortimer, Jerry Joy Stewart and Ieuan Rhys – a theatrical treat for all the family.

Michael Bogdanov who is producing and directing the show said “for a long time I’ve wanted to present a new production of A Child’s Christmas in Wales, one that would use the compelling rhythms of Thomas’s writing and highlight the same thinking and preoccupations in this work as that we see in his poetry. It is an enchanting piece and by adding fifteen new songs, I think we’ve strengthened the appeal for the whole family and created a truly magical show.”

Jack Herrick, an American award winning musician and composer is responsible for the new music in this new production. As a member of the Red Clay Ramblers he’s toured to over 25 countries on in North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He performed in Fool Moon on Broadway, for which the Ramblers won a Tony Award, the New York equivalent of an Olivier Award, as well as their second Drama Desk (critics’ award) nomination for Outstanding Music in a Play. Jack has enjoyed a long association with music and theatre, including appearances in the original New York productions of Diamond Studs, Sam Sheperd’s A Lie of the Mind and the Broadway musical production of Kudzu. He and Michael Bogdanov have worked together on a number of productions including the hit musical, Lone Star Love or The Merry Wives of Texas in 2004 for which the music achieved a Tony Award nomination. On working on this new production, Herrick commented “I’ve relished this opportunity of working again with Michael and to produce a whole new set of original songs for this magical production by one of Wales’s most famous sons.”

Wales Theatre Company has already made a name for itself presenting Dylan Thomas’s work – Under Milk Wood was the Company’s first production in 2004 marking the 50th anniversaries of Dylan Thomas’s Death and the first stage/radio performances of the play. Thomas’s ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ will be the Company’s second tribute to Dylan Thomas’s work, a delightful piece of theatre that is sure to enchant audiences young and old.

The production opens at The Grand Theatre, Swansea on 17th October before touring to New Theatre Cardiff as part of the Cardiff International Festival of Musical Theatre then to The Torch in Milford Haven, Theatr Ardudwy in Harlech, Theatr Hafren in Newtown and Theatre Brycheiniog in Brecon, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Congress in Cwmbran, Venue Wales in Llandudno and the Parc & Dare Theatre in Aberdare.