Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray

More like “Hide and Seek with Sarah Snook.”

Sunset Boulevard’s lyric “every movie’s a circus” is very true in Kip Williams’ new adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. With cameras moving all about onstage and multiple screens floating around, the action is right up on the big screen(s) in front of your eyes. But where is Sarah Snook? Who knows. 

Sometimes she’s visible and downstage, but more often than not, she’s hidden by one of the screens or a set piece. However, that shouldn’t matter because she is always there on one screen or another, but she is always performing to the camera - never the audience. And there lies my gripe with this show - it was a movie that just happened to be filmed mostly live. 

Sarah Snook in The Picture of Dorian Gray

From the very first moment of the entire play when Ms. Snook and a few camera operators walk onstage and they set up behind the big screen, in a place where the audience could not see, I could tell it would be a tough watch. There was little to no connection with the audience because of the nature of it, and the play really faltered because it's a story that is giving the audience a warning, and to do that well, you have to acknowledge their presence. Sometimes relying too much on a quick meta joke to lighten the mood for a moment, the play winds through the source material at a decent pace, taking appropriate amounts of time for each scene, which is a rarity these days and an area where it triumphed. 

Ms. Snook had better be polishing her acceptance speech, because tomorrow night, she will add a Tony to her collection of awards. The way she flips flawlessly between all 26 characters is masterful, whether through the switch of an accent or tone, the change of a prop, or the switch of a wig, she always made it clear who was talking, and thus who was most important to focus on in the scene. Having multiple camera angles also assisted . As previously mentioned, the strictly choreographed nature of the show did not allow for any audience acknowledgement leaving me without any strong emotional reactions and feeling generally disconnected from the world of the show.

What was not disconnected were the technical elements. All working together to pull off this marvel, each department shined. Nick Schlieper’s lighting work was very precisely calculated with David Bergman’s video design, and the sound design and original underscoring by Clemence Williams kept the pace of the show subtly below the dialogue. Marg Horwell’s costumes are beautiful and lush, certainly deserving of a Tony Award for their ability to turn one person into so many characters so easily. Unfortunately, we never get to fully see some of Horwell’s lavishly decorated set pieces as they come in and out, only being able to view parts of them through the cameras, which was a disappointment. However, as was expected, the highlight of Dorian Gray is certainly the video design. While I may not agree with its (over)usage, it was done exceptionally well, from angles that differentiated one character from another, to a dinner scene where seven people sat and talked at the table, to the life-or-death chase sequence in the woods, it really was spectacular. Even more technically impressive, but poorly chosen, was the use of iPhone cameras, but it tore us straight out of the established Victorian era and threw us in the modern day - NOT the point. 

Ms. Snook and the tech team

While her name may be above the title, Ms. Snook is not the only person onstage. To pull this off, she is joined by a crew of five camera operators who not only follow her around, but also help her with costume changes, props, and everything else she needs. The fluidity at which they all work together with Ms. Snook is the only way that this show can be pulled off, and it is very impressive to watch - when you can see them. 

Of course, some comparisons must be drawn to Jamie Lloyd’s currently running revival of Sunset Blvd, since they both heavily feature cameras. What Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Williams have done is so vastly different, but what they have in common is that you are never debating in your head where to look - screen or stage. Mr. Lloyd was very specific about when cameras were used in Sunset Blvd to highlight specific parts, and Mr. Williams used them the whole time. Even though it is about movies, Sunset Blvd. did not feel like one, while Dorian Gray did, and I to fix that, Ms. Snook needed to have more moments where she spoke directly to the audience, making the sacred connection which defines a live theatrical experience.

To wrap it up, I really enjoyed it for what it was. Was it an experience that I will remember forever? Yes, but maybe not for the reasons I’d like to. It is a good adaptation of this classic work, but not the theatrical experience I was hoping for, leaving me wanting more of... well, everything except cameras.

3.5/5 stars

2 hours, no intermission

Music Box Theatre

Through June 29, 2025