REVIEW | The Picture of Dorian Gray, Barn Theatre
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Barn Theatre Digital
★★★★★
The Barn Theatre is back streaming up some magic so that their audiences can stay connected a year after it was announced theatres would close. They’ve had a remarkable journey and this time around they are joined by five venues from across the UK to co-produce an Oscar Wilde classic in the digital age. The Picture of Dorian Gray has been re-imagined by Henry Filloux-Bennett and directed by Tamara Harvey, plunging this classic novel into the current social media-obsessed world that we all experience today.
The 94-minute production follows influencer Dorian Gray. In a profile pic-obsessed, a filter-fixated world where online and reality blur, he strikes up a deal for his social star to never fade and for the perfect self he broadcasts to the world to always remain. But as his mental health begins to decline, as corruption and murderous depravity start to creep into his world, the true and horrific cost of his deal will soon need to be met.
Jam-packed with a stellar casting, 7 very well-known actors (Alfred Enoch, Emma McDonald, Stephen Fry, Russell Tovey, Joanna Lumley, Fionn Whitehead) bring the unforgettable characters within Oscar Wilde’s dazzling novel to life in a glitzy affair. The modern references to the pandemic are cleverly intertwined into the story, with some great transitions between the different characters and media sources to develop the storytelling for this style of production. Lady Narborough (Joanna Lumley) offers a stark realisation surrounding the influence of social media on a young person’s life and how that impacts their mental health. Her performance is the main thread that navigates us through Dorian’s story and she captures the flirtatiousness and wealth of her character through every second of the production. I thoroughly enjoyed how Lumley aligned the story to help question different themes throughout the storyline.
The Picture of Dorian Gray flows rapidly through the story, especially as we start to build a relationship with Dorian himself. Our protagonist, the exceptionally vain character, played by Fionn Whitehead goes on a real journey as Dorian. We start to see how his youth and physical attractiveness are ever weakening into an individual who is extremely vulnerable and insecure. Witnessing this physical change in Dorian is striking and at times can be considered a little bit uncomfortable to watch.
Lord Henry’s character carries a huge influence on Dorian Gray’s path, we see the charm and wit ooze out of Alfred Enoch’s performance. Enoch does a superb job in seducing Dorian into the conversation, he carries great sway and power which is portrayed so well within this format.
The creative team have done an excellent job in ensuring the layers are built up around Dorian Gray’s story without it losing the main thread. The transitions between the characters and the atmosphere are an unforgettable experience you will thoroughly enjoy.