No curtain cloaks the stage as you arrive at The Picture of Dorian Gray, and as you settle into your seats you’ll quickly notice that the stage is absolutely littered with gaffer tape. Above that fluorescent constellation, from waist height all the way to the top of the proscenium arch, hangs an imposing monolith of a screen. This is not a play that’s relegating its technical side to behind the scenes.
The furniture is in service of one Sarah Snook, recently of Succession fame, taking on a billed 26 parts in Dorian Gray. Alternatively playing against pre-recorded segments and different onstage camera angles, Snook is filmed by a squad of deft stagehands, with the whole setup stitched live to be projected onto the looming screen. The coordination required to pull this off seamlessly – not to mention the mental and physical effort from both Snook and the crew – is a minor miracle, seriously impressive.
Twenty-six parts though there may be, the one that matters most is the eponymous Dorian Gray, whom Snook plays excellently. For a man whose appearance infamously stays frozen in youth, the shifting of Dorian’s soul is what’s at stake, and Snook robustly portrays his descent from coy, cherubic youth to embittered, tortured man. This is made easier by Oscar Wilde’s strong text, witty and gothic, which is clearly a lot of fun to inhabit. Director Kip Williams’ adaptation is for concision, rarely wording, and Wilde’s voice shines through distinctly.
If one were to nitpick, you could complain that Dorian Gray is a little more cinema than theatre. It’s certainly paced like a film – one hour and fifty minutes, without an interval, and upwards of sixty percent playing to cameras rather than to the stalls. But then you might remember that movies have the luxury of editing, and breaks. Dorian Gray has no such crutches. It’s a two-hour continuous take – one that demonstrates the best of theatre as an art form – careful direction, nightly precision, and up-close human experience.
As a practical matter, the cinematics heighten the action, and as an artistic matter they connect this Victorian tale of vanity to the present. What’s more vain than a filtered iPhone selfie? Also note – the large-screen video effects mean this is still a great show to see from the upper circle or gallery seats, though tickets are priced accordingly.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a tour de force of staging, performance, and technical achievement. See it while you can.
Rating: 5/5
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Twopenny Theatre 
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