Review by Olivia Ruggiero
Thematically, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray should speak volumes to modern society, with the rise of social media giving way to the battle between aestheticism over morality – the central struggle of Dorian himself. This new modern musical adaption by Joe Evans and Linnie Reedman, currently playing at Southwark Playhouse, hits on the message with mixed success.
The direction by Linnie Reedman feels stilted at times, and the actors seem to lack understanding of the purpose of their movements and blocking. At times it feels like there simply is no direction – which leads way to other issues. There are moments (particularly at the start of the show) where the dialogue feels rushed and as a result the audiences loses lines. Each character seems to only have surface value, there’s a lack of emotional depth and nuance within the direction and therefore the performances, this gives a sense of emptiness, disallowing the audience to engage or empathise. Furthermore, the transitions between scene and song seems awkward. The music itself lends itself to gothic rock opera but unfortunately is a bit the same throughout with little variety and the lyrics don’t allow for much character development, leaving the book to do the heavy lifting. In this instance, the book achieves success in moving the plot forward but little else. We are straight into the motion of the plot from the onset and as a result are not given the time, we as an audience need, to develop a connection with the characters.
The band is on full display which works well for the setting (a music studio). Led by Aaron Clingham, they are certainly the highlight of the evening. They are tight, well-rehearsed and punchy. They do their best to add colour into the music. The high point of the evening was certainly the spotlighted performance of the solo lead guitarist in the second act.
The cast is led by Alfie Friedman as Dorian Gray. Friedman very much aesthetically matches the role, but his portrayal lacks depth and meaning. He doesn’t quite capture the struggle of Dorian to his full potential. His voice in tonally clean but he seems to struggle with the registration required for the role. He is supported by Gabrielle Lewis-Dobson as Victoria Wotton and George Renshaw as Harry Wotton. Lewis-Dobson at times manages to make the comedy and frivolity of her character hit home but vocally she can be quite shrill. There seems to be little connection between her acting and vocal choices, which is a shame as her character has great potential to harness the message of the show. She certainly shows the most development throughout but it’s not quite enough to allow any sympathy towards her. Renshaw is certainly the most energised performer on the stage, with a captivating stage presence. Leeroy Boone as Baz Hallward is quite under energised in his delivery and therefore his death scene seems obstinate, when it should be a moment of great anguish. Megan Hill plays both Sibyl and Fabian. Her portrayal of Sibyl doesn’t feel pure enough to contrast with the malevolence of the Wotton’s. Whilst she should be a beacon of hope and light, she appears rather frivolous. Her portrayal of Fabian seems rather soulless rather than strong. It confuses the ending and as to why Fabian, as a character, has been chosen to put an end to the plight of Dorian.
There is so much potential in this show to ring true and yet in this instance it feels quite under-developed. Perhaps more time is needed to dramaturgically tighten up some of the flaws and allow for more deliberate choices and beats to inform the casts performances.
Image Credit: Danny Kaan