THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY Reviews- Page 3

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 1:03pm

Thanks TotallyEffed - I prefer going into things blind but wanted to make sure I wouldn't be totally lost since this is a pretty unconventional adaptation. Sounds like I should be okay.

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 2:31pm

One of the best things I've seen in a while. Yes, the play itself isn't perfect and could've benefitted from some tightening here and there, but man, Snook's performance is one for the ages. She is absolutely thrilling to watch. No question that the Tony is hers this year. 

The entire conceit of the production is, in my opinion, brilliant in both concept and execution.

Don't miss this one.

[willep]

Posted: 4/5/25 at 11:10pm

I know I’m in the minority, but this didn’t really work for me. I agree there was too much screen time and too many pre-filmed parts. I couldn’t get emotionally involved at all, and Snook felt like she was working too hard to make the feelings happen.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/6/25 at 12:47pm

Thoughts on Side Orch vs Mezz (more center) for this production? I know there's a lot of projection work.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/6/25 at 12:51pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Thoughts on Side Orch vs Mezz (more center) for this production? I know there's a lot of projection work."


I always prefer to be closer but for this production I’d suggest some distance. I sat Row E and it was way too close.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 4/6/25 at 1:07pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Thoughts on Side Orch vs Mezz (more center) for this production? I know there's a lot of projection work."
 

I sat in Orch J16 which was great as I could see all screens and stage well. Also sat in Orch L22 which was fine but there were a few moments a smaller screen was blocked.

[sm33]

Posted: 4/7/25 at 12:40am

Saw the matinee this afternoon. I thought Sarah Snook was truly fabulous, and the show itself was a technical marvel, but I hope that this type of hybrid doesn't become a trend. When I'm watching theater, I enjoy having the freedom of what to look at on stage, and the way this is put together doesn't give you much of a choice other than to watch the screens most of the time, making it kind of hard for me to get immersed. I get why they're doing it for this show, and I could appreciate the relevance, but I hope that other shows don't follow suit. 

Just in case anyone was wondering, sat in the very back row corner of the Orchestra (P28) and could see perfectly well, aside from one small screen that was blocked by the boxes for a couple of scenes. It really does play well to the back of the room, which is one big asset for the screens, I guess! 

[RussT2]

Posted: 4/7/25 at 8:33am

I must be honest. I’m very torn. Sarah Snook performs a Herculean task performing this show playing all 27 characters. She deserves a gold medal for the sheer physical work she brings to the role. However the use of large video screens was extremely distracting and I had to fight being drawn to them and force myself to watch the actress on stage and not the huge screen broadcasting her live. Also, many of the other roles she plays are prerecorded and projected for her to act with. Technically, it’s very well done and her timing is perfect, but if I’m going to see a Broadway show, I prefer to see live actors on stage acting with each other, not prerecorded clips.

This is not your Grandfather’s Dorian Gray. This is avant-garde theater and the narrative gets a bit muddled. If you go into this show already knowing the story of The Picture Of Dorian Gray it will serve you well. If not, you may be confused. I’m not saying it’s a bad show because it's not. Sarah Snook is a tour de force and for her performance alone it is definitely worth seeing. It just may not be for everyone. The hunting scene in the forest was where I literally whispered to my husband the word "insufferable" because at that point I felt like I was home sitting on the couch watching TV. I know I'm complaining and I’m glad we saw it, but for me, I’ll always prefer a show with a cast of performers on stage acting LIVE and less video screens with prerecorded performances.

Updated On: 4/7/25 at 08:33 AM

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 4/7/25 at 9:20am

RussT2 said: "

I must be honest. I’m very torn. Sarah Snook performs a Herculean task performing this show playing all 27 characters. She deserves a gold medal for the sheer physical work she brings to the role. However the use of large video screens was extremely distracting and I had to fight being drawn to them and force myself to watch the actress on stage and not the huge screen broadcasting her live. Also, many of the other roles she plays are prerecorded and projected for her to act with. Technically, it’s very well done and her timing is perfect, but if I’m going to see a Broadway show, I prefer to see live actors on stage acting with each other, not prerecorded clips.

This is not your Grandfather’s Dorian Gray. This is avant-garde theater and the narrative gets a bit muddled. If you go into this show already knowing the story of The Picture Of Dorian Gray it will serve you well. If not, you may be confused. I’m not saying it’s a bad show because it's not. Sarah Snook is a tour de force and for her performance alone it is definitely worth seeing. It just may not be for everyone. The hunting scene in the forest was where I literally whispered to my husband the word "insufferable" because at that point I felt like I was home sitting on the couch watching TV. I know I'm complaining and I’m glad we saw it, but for me, I’ll always prefer a show with a cast of performers on stage acting LIVE and less video screens with prerecorded performances.

"

Kip Williams, the Director,  who originated this at the Sydney Theatre Company with Eryn Jean Norvill in the role to great acclaim before it went to the west End with Sarah,  actually did what was called a Gothic trilogy of  cine theatre at STC.

Dorian Gray was followed by The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Dracula,  the latter of which was also a big critical and commercial success in Sydney.  they both also had one actor playing all the roles.

I'll be interested to see if the other two productions make their way overseas.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/19/25 at 5:00pm

Both Snook and the production are technically impressive, but dramatically this did very little for me. The little winking bits--where the recorded version of her tries picking up the narration when the live version does, when the "fireworks" backdrop fell on her when her head was in the little playhouse enacting the meeting with Sybil--were overly cutesy and made it hard to get invested in the story, even when it became overly serious.

I was ready for it to be over an hour before it was, and the section in the woods and the final bit with Dorian and the painting both went on forever. I didn't think I remembered the story going in, remembered the ending as it started to get there, and started thinking, "Good god, do it already!" as it went on and on.

I'm sure some will argue, and have, that all the screens and technical impressiveness makes a statement about artifice and how we present ourselves to the world. All I got was a show that was impressive visually and empty (if not warped and evil) on the inside, like Dorian Gray? So maybe it succeeds on those terms. Otherwise the main purpose seems to be to watch Sarah Snook work hard, which she does, and excellently so.

[east side story]

Posted: 4/19/25 at 8:02pm

Snook is sensational in this.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 4/29/25 at 7:25am

'Picture of Dorian Gray': How the Costume Designer Transformed Sarah Snook into 26 Different Characters

 

https://variety.com/2025/artisans/news/picture-of-dorian-gray-costumes-sarah-snook-26-characters-1236380152/

[MezzA101]

Posted: 4/29/25 at 7:32am

Interview with Marg Horwell on The Picture of Dorian Gray Set Design

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a64576878/the-picture-of-dorian-gray-broadway-set-design/