The Picture of Dorian Gray for the 21st Century

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken,” – Oscar Wilde

Running at the Music Box Theater from March until June 15th, The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Sarah Snook, may very well be the Broadway spectacle of the year. Adapted by Kip Williams from Oscar Wilde’s 1890 original for a 21st-century audience, Actor from hit TV Series Succession, Sarah Snook, plays all twenty-six roles in a 2-hour extravaganza.

At the center of Wilde’s masterpiece is the dazzling twenty-year-old Dorian Gray, living amongst Victorian London’s rich and powerful. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed gentlemen begins his journey with the creation of a portrait by artist Basil Hallward, a man captivated by Dorian’s youth and beauty. Unbeknownst to the artist himself, the portrait possesses magical qualities. Dorian soon discovers that the physical manifestation of age and hedonistic pursuits would only appear upon the Dorian in the portrait, leaving himself unscathed. Having come to this realization, Dorian progressively descends into a life of sensual pleasure with little regard for Victorian or Christian morals. Dorian turns to Lord Henry, a corrupt man speaking in favor of spineless debauchery, for advice, slowly becoming mad in the process. By the end of the 18-year period Wilde illustrates, Dorian stabs the now hideous portrait, killing himself in the process.

Wilde’s involvement in the Aesthetic Movement is the foundation of the philosophical dilemmas the novel and Williams’s adaptation explore. At its core, Aestheticism was a movement and school of thought centered on the doctrine that art exists solely for the sake of beauty and not for any political or didactic purposes. Wilde’s own pleasure-seeking lifestyle is said to have influenced part of Dorian’s character. In his own words, “I can resist everything except temptation.” While championing the value of beauty through Dorian’s obsession with appearance, Wilde’s work is simultaneously a critic of living a life devoid of moral consideration, epitomized in Dorian’s self-destruction. Another dichotomy driving the work is the contrast between Dorian’s beautiful appearance and twisted, corrupt soul. While one may appear to be and sound devoid of moral transgression, especially in the Judeo-Christian sense, it is not guaranteed that their life is not infested with sin. A close reading urges the audience to consider their values and uphold moral purity, even when given the chance to avoid social judgment. God, of course, is always watching, Christians would be quick to point out.

Williams does an excellent job bringing this Victorian-era novel alive with a talented camera crew and outstanding acting. It is never easy to pull off a one-man show without taking away from a play’s substance. Here, Snook’s solo performance, playing primarily male characters no less, only adds to the production. Screens, slang, and digital filters supplement Wilde’s original while enticing the younger generation. In publishing this review, it is my hope that we return to the philosophical dilemmas present in Wilde’s work in a world where the morality of our actions is no longer considered. In the absence of ethics, what separates humanity, our flesh and blood, from artificial intelligence that poses an existential threat to our creativity, authenticity, and morality?