After thrilling audiences last year with their digital adaptation of What A Carve Up!, The Barn, Lawrence Batley and New Wolsey Theatres have teamed up once more alongside new partners, Oxford Playhouse and Theatr Clwyd, for an innovative, imaginative new modern retelling of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.

This tale of a man obsessed with beauty above all else, who keeps a self-portrait locked away ageing as he remains youthful and beautiful, has been pulled into the modern age with Dorian’s famous and mysterious ageing portrait replaced with a filtered selfie that presents university student Dorian to his legion of followers as the image of perfect beauty. 

Ffion Whitehead takes on the huge role of Dorian Gray here and does so with ease, taking a complex character and sending it flying into an Instagram image-obsessed, follower-counting modern world. Dorian begins the story as a young man who starts a YouTube channel simply to connect with fellow students locked down due the pandemic, but after filter creator Basil Hallwood (Russell Tovey) gifts him a new filter for his 21st birthday, his social media following soars and he becomes obsessed with his aesthetic and continuing to grow his following, even if it means driving his friends down dark paths. Whitehead makes the character both believable and captivating as you are drawn into everything he does, especially when his mental health begins to take toll of his internet stardom. 

As Harry Wooton, Alfred Enoch impresses greatly, recalling the events that follow Dorian’s birthday party and the gift of the filter that changes his life. Harry is a passionate temperamental character, who cares greatly for Dorian but cannot resist being pulled into his strange and twisted world. As he watches Dorian’s videos and shares his concerns, he becomes more involved with him and his relationship with Sybil Vane (Emma McDonald) as Dorian becomes obsessed with her and with the followers she brings to his social media. Sybil’s story is heart-breaking and the real emotional soul of the story as she finds herself drawn towards Dorian and his beauty whilst trying to make a name for herself as an actress with her love of poetry and Shakespeare. 

Joanna Lumley plays Lady Narborough, with occasional interviews and video calls from her to Dorian as she tries to understand the social media world he obsesses over and recalls all that happened when his fame takes off. 

This version of Dorian Gray fits perfectly into our modern world. We see Dorian as a student locked down in his room, reaching out via the internet, with video calls and scrolling Instagram screens. We seeTik Tok becoming a whole new kind of stage and observe comments flickering across the screen as the characters discover what the internet can really be like. It is modern and relatable, whilst highlighting how technology has helped theatre to evolve during these challenging times. The story takes a little time to get going initially but once you get to know the characters a little bit more, you get drawn into the story and are captivated through to the end. The filming is brilliantly done, linking the story through YouTube Videos, comments and Facetime calls, in a way that feels both fresh and relatable to the world that we are currently living in where we seem to live our entire lives through screens and keyboards. 

To those familiar with the story of Dorian Gray, this new digital adaptation presents the story in a way you would not have seen before and to those new to the story, you will be drawn into the strange and twisted world of Dorian and the obsession for looks that drives him to deep and dark extremes. These theatres continue to innovate and prove that even during a global pandemic, theatre continues to bring people together whilst we are forced to stay apart.

****’ Four and a half stars

Reviewed by: Rebecca Wallis

The Picture of Dorian Gray continues to stream until 31 March and tickets can be purchased here.

Please note this review also appears on the Musical Theatre Lives In Me blog page.