In her Broadway debut, Sarah Snook channels an eclectic troupe of avatars in Oscar Wilde’s Faustian tale of unfiltered narcissism: The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Sarah Snook in The Picture of Dorian Gray, adapted, written, and directed by Kip Williams. Photos © Marc Brenner.
Vanity, sensuality, and debauchery—what’s not to love? A heady trio of vices, for sure, whether set loose in 19th century England or 21st century Everywhere. For Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde’s pretty young hedonist who jettisoned his soul for eternal youth, decadence was more or less the norm…his privileged social circle dictated as much. Still, after marinating in his own depravity for several years, even Dorian questioned his choices. Sort of. Maybe. Whatever. Looking good, Gray…but what’s going on with that portrait in the attic?
Cut. Rewind. On location at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre, where a stunning mashup of video and live solo performance transforms Wilde’s only novel into a theatrical lightning bolt.
Adapted and directed by Kip Williams, the production is a force of its own unique nature. Through supersized hanging screens, and a trolling network of camera operators/transformational artists, the show’s lone actor, Sarah Snook, towers over the stage—sometimes alone, sometimes as one or more characters (often prerecorded), each exquisitely different, whether in full costume and makeup or not. (Snook’s facial expressions and vocal modifications can literally speak for themselves.) At times you can see her seated behind the screen being filmed or prepped for her next scene…or taking center stage until she’s confronted on a screen or panel by herself as another character. Kudos to video designer David Bergman for his seamless overlap of flesh and film.
The storyline follows Wilde’s original without straying much of course. Falling in love with his freshly painted image, Dorian forgoes salvation in order to remain young and drop-dead gorgeous. His portrait, however, not only ages, but becomes a hideous canvas for his increasingly depraved roster of sins.
Early on, Snook is irresistible as a yet uncorrupted Dorian, tossing a mop of blonde curls and posturing like a selfie-obsessed influencer to match the Narrator’s description: “…he was certainly wonderfully handsome, with his finely curved scarlet lips, his frank blue eyes, his crisp gold hair…He was made to be worshipped.” Later, her Dorian sports a stiff pompadour that would fit right in alongside the Time Warp revelers in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
That said, Williams’ vision for the play is by no means restricted to its Victorian roots. As Dorian’s morals decay, he enjoys a number of anachronistic dalliances from cell phones and Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love,” to the electro beat of Stereogamous’s “Homewrecker,” a flutter of TikToking, and a bit of vaping (why not?). Bridging the fictional gap between past and present, Snook smoothly morphs from louche to madcap to unhinged.
Just as Lin-Manuel Mirada legitimized rap as a viable musical style for the stage in Hamilton, Williams has parlayed the combo of cinema and live acting (not a new concept, to be sure) into something cutting edge and exhilarating. And while other shows, Sunset Blvd. being one, have also pushed the latest video buttons, The Picture of Dorian Gray is clearly this season’s frontrunner—and an exquisite work of modern art.
The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Sarah Snook opened March 27th, 2025 at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre. Running time: 2 hrs. (no intermission). Limited run ends July 6th, 2025. doriangrayplay.com
