THEATRE REVIEW – The Picture of Dorian Gray Starring Sarah Snook

Succession Stans Receiving a Full-Course Theatrical Meal

The stars of Succession have made themselves at home on the Great White Way. Jeremy Strong in an excellent Enemy of the People, Kieran Culkin down the road in Glengarry Glenn Ross, Peter Friedman in Job, and David Rasche in Cult of Love. Now it is Sarah Snook’s turn, and WHAT a revolution it is. As close to a one-woman show as you can get, this Picture of Dorian Gray is a technical marvel that does not leave the emotion at the door. Video screens as self-reflections of old pieces of art in the 21st Century are all the rage these days (Sunset Boulevard at the St. James and last year’s film The Substance come to mind). The biggest questions that arise when technology is used this heavily is whether that same technology is used as camouflage for a thin plot.

It is with extreme pleasure to say that is not the case here. The technology enhances every single aspect of the text. It is a direct reflection of our phone screens as mirrors, much in the way Dorian looks at his portrait. The reason I (and the production) do not consider it a full one-woman show is because of the tech crew. They work just as hard alongside Snook to provide one of the most thematically thorough nights on Broadway.

The story is an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s novel of the same name. Snook plays every character (even some that are not ‘live’). The most important of them all is Dorian Gray, who, at a young age, is taken under the wing of Lord Henry Wotton. Gray is so smitten by Henry’s views of the world that he never wants to let go of his youth and vitality. When a portrait of himself is brought to his attention, he becomes obsessed with it. Over the course of a few years, Gray begins to notice wrinkles on his self-portrait. Signs of aging. It is that obsession with his own mortality that he goes on amoral binges with sex, drugs, and everything in between. The excess consumes Dorian as he confronts the aging portrait that changes right before his eyes, causing destruction to everyone he crosses paths with.

The story is quite provocative and the way it is told here feels extremely thrilling. It feels like a continuous game of basketball, all actors and crew running around the stage making sure everything is working just right. The evening I saw it, there was an issue with the “face filter” during the club scene. It was super subtle and did not hinder the performance too much. In fact, it reminded me just how much of a behemoth this show is to put on. Every single moment has to work or it all could crumble. It is fragile, much like our egos can be.

Oscar Wilde was also known for his queer subtext in his stories. Having Snook play all the characters leaned into gender and what can come out of it when bent. I felt that the relationship between Lord Henry and Dorian could have stuck a bit deeper into the chemistry they both clearly had. From what I have been reading, the book does a more thorough job of that. It does not hinder the performance, per se, but it can certainly be felt.

Just give Snook her Tony at this point. Not only is her performance of everyone outstanding, she makes it look easy. And she is extremely believable. Her acting style seems to come out of a very Stoic approach. She shows up, she does her job (well), she is done. No frills, a great team player, all about the work. Her approach to these characters feels like we are holding a diamond to her face and can see all the iterations of her performance reflect back to us in each facet. It reaches past the Gimmick Stage by pulling every contextual piece of evidence and wringing it out in front of our faces every single second. She brings this Dorian Gray to life, even when the writing does not exactly want to. It is thrilling theatre that I hope to catch before the run’s time on Broadway passes by.