Entranced by the beauty of his own portrait, Dorian Gray sells his soul to preserve his youth and pays a price. This haunting and seductive adaptation lets Wilde’s language and wit sparkle, but strips bare the themes of hedonism and the insatiable pursuit of pleasure. As Gray descends into self-indulgent debauchery, those around him are drawn to their own ruin like moths to a flame.
Please note that the performance on November 2nd at 8pm will be an ASL interpreted show.
Content Advisory: Contains nudity and suggestive material. Recommended for mature audiences ages 15 and up. Student matinee performances will adjust the suggestive material and be performed without nudity.
The vision, staging, and casting are in alignment and intriguing visually as well as auditorily, and although the manifestations of Dorian's decay were all there, from jilting his fiancee to murder, there was more direction toward the psychological aspects of his descent into hedonism than the horror aspects. The only place the technique didn't play quite as well was the sequence where the forceful ballet was accompanied by Basil and Henry in the background attempting to disguise the effects of their aging while Dorian remains unchanged (and nude, as he is through much of the play), overlaid by philosophical readings. The three elements of the scenario need to be more intertwined, with the audio levels more balanced (believe it or not, the sounds made by the dancers made it difficult to hear the readings, and I wanted to hear more without straining). But that's a minor flaw that can be easily corrected. I also think nothing would be lost by shortening it by 20 minutes or so, which could also easily be done. Overall, quite unique and recommended.
No production at A Noise Within has ever felt as vital or as alive as Michael Michetti's 'A Picture of Dorian Gray'. Michetti, who adapted and directed, seems to have invested as much of his own life essence into this work as Oscar Wilde did his. The result is a complex, beautiful and impressively theatrical representation of a formidably subtle and verbose text.
The production vividly depicts the dichotomy found in Victorian morality, both its hypocritical displays of propriety and its agenda to suppress homoerotic behavior. Amin El Gamal, as the artist whose brush strokes betray his attraction to his muse, comes up against this very issue. Should he be found out, it would surely be his ruin. But to be unable to express his feelings is its own kind of hell. The role moves at a different pace than the rest of the characters and El Gamal handles the delicate territory by remaining quietly open and vulnerable. There is great sensitivity in his performance and it all starts in his eyes. It is his best work to date--all the more impressive because it isn't a flashy role. Its success rests on the actor's ability to handle subtlety.
Even if we Angelenos live in the epicenter of the High Renaissance of plastic surgery – procedures Oscar Wilde prefigured in his 1890 novella – A Picture of Dorian Gray is not for everybody. If depictions of murder, male nudity, homosexuality and avant-garde mise-en-scene on the stage aren't your thing you might prefer to skip this production. More adventurous ticket buyers who prefer their plays to lean towards the edgier, experimental side are more likely to enjoy this drama about obsessions with beauty and youth. Those who love to take a walk on the Wilde side may be riveted by Oscar's vision of the importance of being beautiful and forever young.
A Picture of Dorian Gray is also a triple manifestation of Michetti's impressive creativity as he continues to find ways to command his audiences' interest, curiosity and respect.
Rare is the 99-seat theater production granted a big-stage transfer, and rarer still is one revived a dozen years after its World Premiere. Los Angeles theatergoers can count themselves fortunate indeed that Michael Michetti's audacious, intoxicating A Picture Of Dorian Gray is back.
Bates makes a stunningly attractive and guileless Dorian. He always appears in a blindingly white “ice cream” suit that truly sets him apart from all the other characters in somber shades of black, grey or brown (courtesy of costume designer Garry Lennon). Stuart gives great support as the amoral Lord Henry, serving as the witty mouthpiece of Wilde who has given the character a treasure trove of bon mots. The entire cast adds to the mystery and occult feel of the tale.
The vision, staging, and casting are in alignment and intriguing visually as well as auditorily, and although the manifestations of Dorian's decay were all there, from jilting his fiancee to murder, there was more direction toward the psychological aspects of his descent into hedonism than the horror aspects. The only place the technique didn't play quite as well was the sequence where the forceful ballet was accompanied by Basil and Henry in the background attempting to disguise the effects of their aging while Dorian remains unchanged (and nude, as he is through much of the play), overlaid by philosophical readings. The three elements of the scenario need to be more intertwined, with the audio levels more balanced (believe it or not, the sounds made by the dancers made it difficult to hear the readings, and I wanted to hear more without straining). But that's a minor flaw that can be easily corrected. I also think nothing would be lost by shortening it by 20 minutes or so, which could also easily be done. Overall, quite unique and recommended.
No production at A Noise Within has ever felt as vital or as alive as Michael Michetti's 'A Picture of Dorian Gray'. Michetti, who adapted and directed, seems to have invested as much of his own life essence into this work as Oscar Wilde did his. The result is a complex, beautiful and impressively theatrical representation of a formidably subtle and verbose text.
The production vividly depicts the dichotomy found in Victorian morality, both its hypocritical displays of propriety and its agenda to suppress homoerotic behavior. Amin El Gamal, as the artist whose brush strokes betray his attraction to his muse, comes up against this very issue. Should he be found out, it would surely be his ruin. But to be unable to express his feelings is its own kind of hell. The role moves at a different pace than the rest of the characters and El Gamal handles the delicate territory by remaining quietly open and vulnerable. There is great sensitivity in his performance and it all starts in his eyes. It is his best work to date--all the more impressive because it isn't a flashy role. Its success rests on the actor's ability to handle subtlety.
Even if we Angelenos live in the epicenter of the High Renaissance of plastic surgery – procedures Oscar Wilde prefigured in his 1890 novella – A Picture of Dorian Gray is not for everybody. If depictions of murder, male nudity, homosexuality and avant-garde mise-en-scene on the stage aren't your thing you might prefer to skip this production. More adventurous ticket buyers who prefer their plays to lean towards the edgier, experimental side are more likely to enjoy this drama about obsessions with beauty and youth. Those who love to take a walk on the Wilde side may be riveted by Oscar's vision of the importance of being beautiful and forever young.
A Picture of Dorian Gray is also a triple manifestation of Michetti's impressive creativity as he continues to find ways to command his audiences' interest, curiosity and respect.
Rare is the 99-seat theater production granted a big-stage transfer, and rarer still is one revived a dozen years after its World Premiere. Los Angeles theatergoers can count themselves fortunate indeed that Michael Michetti's audacious, intoxicating A Picture Of Dorian Gray is back.
Bates makes a stunningly attractive and guileless Dorian. He always appears in a blindingly white “ice cream” suit that truly sets him apart from all the other characters in somber shades of black, grey or brown (courtesy of costume designer Garry Lennon). Stuart gives great support as the amoral Lord Henry, serving as the witty mouthpiece of Wilde who has given the character a treasure trove of bon mots. The entire cast adds to the mystery and occult feel of the tale.
