The Picture of Dorian Gray, produced by the Barn Theatre, Lawrence Batley Theatre, New Wolsey Theatre, Oxford Playhouse & Theatr Clwyd, will be a contemporary retelling of Wilde’s morality tale. In the novel, the title character is an innocent but narcissistic young man who is seduced by the hedonistic world suggested to him by his cynical friend, Lord Harry Wotton.
Writer Henry Filloux-Bennett reframes the story to a contemporary setting where Dorian Gray is a young influencer who is seduced by the image-fixated worlds of Instagram, Facebook and dating apps and makes a Faustian deal to ensure that his social star will always burn brightly, regardless of the consequences.
The novel’s painting transformation from an object of beauty to a vile record of guilt suggests an intriguing present-day parallel as Dorian’s profile picture may reflect his deteriorating mental health as a result of his pact with fame.