Pictures of Dorian Gray, Jermyn Street Theatre - ★★★ - Until July 6, 2019


The idea of having four different versions of this production is extremely clever, and I suspect just the kind of thing Oscar Wilde would have delighted in. The inversion of conventions and conventional wisdom was at the heart of many of Wilde's epigrams, and the idea of having men and women interchangeably play the roles in this work brings out depths and ironies that, no doubt, would have amused the author and which universalise the play's themes. However, Oscar Wilde was a genius of the theatrical genre, and he chose to write "The Picture of Dorian Gray" as a novella. Unfortunately, this production does not succeed in doing what Wilde did not attempt. The transition of the novella to the stage is not realised. The cast work hard to make an essentially untheatrical adaptation succeed, but it is an uphill struggle. It is probably still worth seeing this brilliant experiment in casting for the new nuances and perspectives it draws out of Wilde's work. The reach may exceed the grasp, but it is an inspiring reach.

Reviewed by J.C.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆ 

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 WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until July 6, 2019
Mon - Sat: 7:30 pm, Tue & Sat: 3:30 pm

 Male Dorian with male Wotton ~
June: 5, 10, 13, 19, 22, 25, 29 (mat). July 2 (mat).
Male Dorian with female Wotton ~
June: 6, 7, 11 (mat), 14, 17, 20, 26, 29. July: 2, 6 (mat).
Female Dorian with male Wotton ~
June: 8 (mat), 11, 15 (mat), 18 (mat), 21, 24, 27. July: 3, 6.
Female Dorian with female Wotton ~
June: 8, 12, 15, 18, 22 (mat), 25 (mat). July: 1, 4.

 The Jermyn Street Theatre
Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus
https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/show/pictures-of-dorian-gray
Map & Location: 16B Jermyn St, St. James's, London SW1Y 6ST, UK

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