This new production of The Picture of Dorian Gray is characterised by a modern and elegant style. The director, John O’Connor (Pride and Prejudice, The Importance of Being Earnest, Waiting for Godot, Pygmalion) chooses to set the play in the present in order to increase the topicality and universality of Oscar Wilde message. The set mirrors this choice: each space is made different from the others by specific props and by nimble panels that are placed each time in a different way and that reveal, when necessary, a symbolic and evocative 3-dimensional “room” where multiple images are projected. All this involve the young audience and makes them feel “surrounded” by the story. This feeling is enhanced by light and sound effects, sensibly created with state-of-the-art instruments that underline the atmosphere of each scene and that makes the main points of the plot even clearer.

 

The audience’s attention is kept high from the beginning to the end, thanks to the music that accompanies the performance of its whole length. The music genre, thriller/gothic, fits particularly well into this production, and the soundtrack is inspired by it. Costumes are contemporary and well refined: precise in every detail, they define the characters while, at the same time, letting their personality shine through.