Award-winning director Kip Williams and "Successor" star Sarah Snook took on Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray," in a one-woman production, which opened in London's West End last Feb. 6 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and will run through May 11.
The Emmy Award-winning actress portrays all 26 roles that would normally require a full-cast ensemble, in a contemporary and highly visual take on Wilde's classic through a wild combination of theatrics and technology.
Here's what critics thought about the show, right below.
Sarah Snook in Kip Williams' one-woman stage adaptation of Wilde's classic, "The Picture of Dorian Gray.
'Stunning' But Lacks 'Emotional Depth'
Time Out's Andrzej Lukowski described the show as an aesthetically pleasing and exhilarating show, despite its ultimately shallow emotional storytelling.
In his four-star review, Lukowski likens the adaptation to a "cabaret tour de force" that features an "ironic" portrayal from Snook that leaves little to no invitation to sympathize with the character.
This aspect is what Cline Davis from The Times primarily railed on in his three-star review, saying, "Williams, who talks about Wilde's "queer subversion" in his program note, is much more interested in wallowing in camp."
He added that the script missed out on capturing the novel's "hypnotic combination of the real and supernatural."
On the other hand, The Guardian's Arifa Akbar praised Williams and the creative team's integration of video production into the stage adaptation in her five-star review, saying that the numerous "moving screens" contributed to moving the drama along.
Of Snook's portrayal, Akbar described it as "a juggling act of high order," placing importance on the importance of the actress' timing, reaction, and even her "athleticism," as she is demanded to burst into one-person, lip-synced performance numbers akin to an "experimental cabaret."
Houman Barekat from the New York Times has a take that disputes the show's insistence on technology, saying that the screens take away the audiences' opportunity to think about the "moral vicissitudes of life" that the original novel tackled.
"One suspects that many audience members at such a production are never fully in the story," said Barekat.
