The Picture of Dorian Gray at Aotea Centre Auckland
Those at the opening night of the Sydney Theatre Company’s 2020 production of The Picture of Dorian Gray shared a rare moment – an overwhelming sense of witnessing something truly extraordinary.
For two hours, actor Eryn Jean Norvill kept audiences spellbound as she performed not one but 26 characters on stage, expertly bringing to life the rich, colourful and ultimately wretched world of Oscar Wilde’s famous 1891 novel.
The show eventually sold out; the season was extended not once but twice before returning to Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne in 2022. Now, it's making its New Zealand debut as part of the 2023 Auckland Arts Festival.
Key to its success is the extraordinary way Kip Williams, STC artistic director and the play’s adaptor, combines technical wizardry with simple theatrical storytelling.
The genius of his adaptation and direction has Norvill performing live to camera while interacting with her other, pre-recorded characters. A moment’s hesitation or slip means she’ll be completely out of synch with the dialogue. If it sounds like a bit of a mind-fuck, it is. Imagine performing it.
Norvill is live on stage the entire show except for one four-second break where she can take a sip of water. On stage, Norvill executes complete costume changes, takes selfies and adds filters to her photos. At one stage she has dinner with not one but seven different versions of herself, all the while delivering a note-perfect monologue before six on-stage cameras.
Then there’s Wilde’s dark, timeless story detailing young Dorian’s desperate quest to retain his youth and beauty, leading him to commit a Faustian pact so he appears eternally youthful. The increasingly wild, hedonistic life he pursues leads to his inevitable downfall.
Tickets are on sale now.
This article was updated on January 11, 2023 to reflect the New Zealand show season.
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