Creator: Midnight Circle Productions, based on the book by Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde’s classic tale of vanity, narcissism, and cruelty has captured audiences since it was first published. It’s that tale of a young man, the eponymous Dorian Gray, who on seeing his portrait, becomes so enamoured by his own beauty wishes that he could remain forever youthful and the picture age instead. His wish is granted, and the story follows him as he changes, over the years, from innocent, sweet and caring to deceitful, cruel, and selfish.
In this latest adaptation, Midnight Circle have converted a crypt in East London into a series of rooms bedecked in late 19th-century fashion. There’s a study, dining room, boudoir, artist lodgings, and cabaret room. As the doors to the crypt are flung open and the audience descends into Gray’s world, you’re greeted by various characters who are milling around the space. You’re given a glass of prosecco and encouraged to explore the space.
Dotted throughout the rooms are letters and torn-off notes that indicate the various relationships and dalliances among the characters. Whilst the audience plays Sherlock Holmes, the cast buzz around in full character interacting with one another and the audience until everyone is summoned to the gallery for the unveiling of Dorian’s portrait.
From here, the show splits up and the cast move into different rooms and you’re given the choice of where you want to go… so you pick up different parts of the overall narrative depending on which room you go to. There’s a host of scenes picking up different storylines from the underlying novel until the audience is encouraged back together for the play’s denouement.
The cast across the board are great. From the moment the Crypt doors are opened they are in full character, and never appear to break for a moment. There are various scenes throughout happening simultaneously in different rooms, and even if there’s no audience around them, they keep the performance going. As such you really feel immersed in this setting. No matter where you walk, which room you enter, there’s some continuation of the story going on.
It’s actually quite eerie, giving the audience a ghostlike feeling. You’re in the same small rooms as the characters but they don’t notice or acknowledge you. You are the proverbial fly-on-the-wall. And whilst this production plays rough and loose with the core text and narrative, this version puts you in the heart of the action giving you a deeper sense of engagement and ultimate foreboding.
This version of Dorian Gray is a lot of fun and hugely entertaining, but if you’re not aware of the base story it’s likely to be confusing and somewhat frustrating. That said, a quick scan of Wikipedia before going and you’ll suitably set up for a glorious night of immersive theatre.
Runs until 29 April 2023
The Reviews Hub Score
Hugely inventive and entertaining
