Southwark Playhouse and Ruby in the Dust
4 July through 10 August 2024
Reviewed by Darcy Sullivan
One approaches any theatrical production of The Picture of Dorian Gray with trepidation, given how many bad versions there have been. The latest adaptation to hit London, produced by Ruby in the Dust at Southwark Playhouse, has two other challenges before it. First, the Wilde-loving audience here has already been treated this year to the bar-raising spectacular produced by the Sydney Theatre Company and starring Sarah Snook. Do they need another Dorian so soon? Second, Dorian: The Musical is… well, it’s there in the title. Musical adaptations of Dorian Gray, and of Wilde generally, have the kind of report card children hide from their parents.
Some punters, settling into their seats and perusing the handsome programme before fanning themselves with it in the sweaty London summer, may have gulped on seeing a quotation from Kim Kardashian alongside Wilde’s. Was this going to be one of those self-consciously ‘modern’ productions, hammering home the point that Dorian was, gosh, just like us?
As Wilde said, ‘On an occasion of this kind it becomes more than a moral duty to speak one’s mind. It becomes a pleasure.’ Because Dorian: The Musical defies lukewarm expectations. It is a delight – superbly acted and sung, brilliantly designed and rewardingly fresh.
The cast is small, just six young performers, but there is none of the awkward double-casting that such productions often have, where Lord Henry needs to show up as Alan Campbell. The principals, Alfie Friedman (Dorian), George Renshaw (Lord Henry), Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson (Victoria Wotton), Leeroy Boone (Baz Hallward) and Megan Hill (Sibyl Vane and her sister), are all terrific singers and accompanied by a live three-piece band.
Joe Evans (music and lyrics) and Linnie Reedman (book and direction) have updated the story, making Dorian a songwriter and Lord Henry a producer. This transposition brings the characters into a milieu, the music industry, that is decadent in itself, somewhat diluting Dorian’s emotional journey from naif to predator. (Who needs a cursed picture when just signing a record deal is considered a deal with the devil? See, for instance, the 1974 musical Phantom of the Paradise.) However, they have also made Dorian into a more tormented character, rather than the cypher he is in many productions’ second half. They have also made Victoria Wotton into a major character, exploring her feelings of betrayal when Wotton becomes obsessed with Dorian. Gone is James Vane, replaced by Sibyl’s twin sister Fabian, who threatens Dorian not with menace but with reminiscence, a living memory of his sin. The cast brings the emotions of the characters to the fore, giving real impact to scenes such as Hallward’s confession to Dorian.
The changes to the story, including a major change at the end, may frustrate those who want a straightforward adaptation. But straightforward adaptations have largely let down critics, audiences and Wilde fans alike. Losing some of the story beats – e.g., Dorian blackmailing Campbell, James Vane confronting Dorian in the East End – seems to work in this production’s favor.
Any musical rises or falls on the strength of its songs, and Dorian: The Musical features 20 excellent songs by Evans, largely in the rock idiom but with a couple of cabaret-style numbers. Lyrically, they strike a splendid balance between poetry and narrative, bringing in snatches of Wilde and his world in songs like ‘The Hardest Flame’ without overdoing it. The opening number, ‘I’m Going to Live Forever’, is one of several standouts, as is ‘Son of Love and Death’, which gets a warranted reprise. The cast sing them so well they might have cast for that alone, but their acting is equally strong. (Some of them have been attached to the musical since its in-development previews in late 2022.)
Isabella Van Braeckel designed both the sets and costumes, which are a special triumph. She mixes elements of Victorian garb, especially frock coats, with modern styles for a glam-rock flamboyance that adds to the musical’s discourse around beauty. She also brings a gender-fluid look to a production that amps up the female voices and includes at least one non-binary performer. Most of all, the costumes are fun, from the Bowie lightning bolts on Victoria’s costume to the pimpish dandyism of Baz Hallward’s outfits. When he first appears, I wanted to call out like the peanut M&M in a popular current commercial, ‘What is all over your feet?!’
There are two crucial elements for any production of The Picture of Dorian Gray that are frequently fumbled: the titular picture and persona. The well-dressed two-level stage gives the performers the opportunity to swap out the original picture for its debased later version, which is pleasingly horrific. And Friedman is a stunner – it’s easy to see why his Dorian is worshipped, unlike some of the humdrum Dorians we’ve seen on stage. With his rock star looks, he calls to mind The Doors’ Jim Morrison, a member of the so-called ’27 club’ of talented people who died at that age, which the musical references with its Club 27.
All concerned with this production deserve credit for bringing a very enjoyable new version of Dorian Gray to life. A cast soundtrack would be welcome.
The reviewer attended the performance on 11 July 2024. Photo: Alfie Friedman as Dorian Gray, photo by Danny Kaan.