Broadway Reviews Theatre Review by Howard Miller - March 27, 2025 The Picture of Dorian Gray. Adaptation, writer, and director Kip Williams. Scenic and costume design by Marg Horwell. Lighting design by Nick Schlieper. Composer and sound design by Clemence Williams. Video design by David Bergman. Dramaturg and creative associate Eryn Jean Norvill. Production dramaturg Paige Rattray. Associate director Ian Michael. Associate director Tait de Lorenzo.
Despite the accolades the production received in London, I never would have expected that Oscar Wilde's fin de siècle novel that both celebrates and reviles a life of hedonism, a story that mixes straight-forward narrative with philosophical meanderings, aphorisms, witty remarks, homoerotic subtext, and a gothic horror story, would ever lend itself to the kind of brilliant treatment that writer/director Kip Williams has brought to the stage. Or, for that matter, that Sarah Snook, an actress best known for her film and television work (notably for her portrayal of the politically savvy if morally ambiguous Shiv Roy in the HBO drama series "Succession"), would be able to capture and hold our attention for two solid intermissionless hours in perfect alignment of the demands of playing against, among, and atop a stageful of electronics and video screens. Oh, and did I mention she plays 26 characters and is the only human on stage other than the skilled camera operators, who deserve their own mention. Bravo, then, to clew, Luka Kain, Natalie Rich, Benjamin Sheen, and Dara Woo. In retrospect, maybe Snook is so right for the task (she did win an Olivier Award for Best Actress for her performance) by virtue of the fact that she has had cameras aimed at her for most of her career. She is more than ready for her close-up and definitely knows how to woo an audience through that medium. The illusion that pretty much separates the actress into more than two dozen characters of varying ages, genders, and social classes is accomplished in part by on-stage wig, makeup, and costume changes. But largely it is the result of the use of pre-recorded components that allows the in-person Snook to interact with her pre-recorded selves.
In reworking the story for the stage, Kip Williams has retained and stayed true to the tale of the novel's narcissistic title character, who bargains away his soul in exchange for eternal youth. Yet at the same time, he effectively has brought in some contemporary elements, such as a round of selfies being shot on a cell phone, and the resetting of a scene originally taking place in an opium den to that of a modern-day rave filled with cocaine-snorting partygoers (a cute cameo for the camera crew). There's also the occasional wink and a nod at some of Wilde's more flowery pronouncements. But, truly, this is a faithful adaptation of the original novel as well as a mesmerizing theatrical experience. Williams and Snook deserve all the laurels heaped upon them, but let's reserve a special hoorah for the eye-popping work of video designer David Bergman. If nothing else, collectively they have transformed this skeptic into a believer, or, at least, an agnostic, regarding the collaborative potential between live performance and videography.
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