“The Picture (of Dorian Gray)” at FringeNYC 2014 at Location (Closes on Sunday August 24, 2014)
“The Picture (of Dorian Gray)” at FringeNYC 2014 at Location (Closes on Sunday August 24, 2014) Written and Directed by Neal Utterback Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited
“I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” ― Oscar Wilde, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
One could consider Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray” to be a retelling of Goethe’s “Faust.” Both Dorian Gray and Faust sell their souls to the Devil in exchange for things they desire: they receive eternal youth and magical powers respectively. The plot of Wilde’s retelling is well known and need not be recounted here. There have been several retellings of Wilde’s novel including Will Self’s “Dorian” published in 2002. Neal Utterback has attempted a retelling with his “The Picture (of Dorian Gray)” currently running at FringeNYC 2014. Presumably the parentheses substitute for a more substantive title.
Mr. Utterback’s version of the iconic tale is, unfortunately, not remarkable. The seventy minute performance piece counterpoints the portrait of Dorian Gray (Phil Oberholzer) narrating the story from beginning to end with the “acting out” of that story on stage by four young energetic and committed actors who play all the roles with enthusiasm and authenticity. A variety of sunglasses defines each character and the actors pass these back and forth as they assume the character associated with the distinguishable pair of sunglasses. Dorian Gray sports classic Ray-Ban Aviators and these are mostly worn by the engaging and energetic Jamison Monella. Jessica Denison, Andrew Kilpatrick, and Alyssa Newberg play Lord Henry Wotton, Basil Hallward, Sibyl Vane and others and complete the ensemble cast.
Despite their efforts, Mr. Utterback’s script fails to give new meaning to Mr. Wilde’s themes despite the attempt to reference contemporary song lyrics and “dens of iniquity.” Kudos to the cast for giving their all to this project. Such effort is commendable.
THE PICTURE (OF DORIAN GRAY)
“The Picture (of Dorian Gray)” is presented by The Gravity Partners in Association with The Present Company (Elena K Holy, Producing Artistic Director). Directed by Neal Utterback.
The cast of “The Picture (of Dorian Gray)” includes Jessica Denison, Jamison Monella, Andrew Kilpatrick, Phil Oberholzer, and Alyssa Newberg.
For performance schedule, ticketing information and more information about the presenting company, please visit www.FringeNYC.org. For mobile ticketing, please visit www.FringeonTheFly.com. The running time is 1 hour and 10 minutes with no intermission.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Friday, August 15, 2014
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