Matthew Bourne, the director/choreographer behind hits such as the all-male Swan Lake, The Car Man and Nutcracker! has turned his attention to an Oscar Wilde gothic masterpiece for his latest production. Dorian Gray, an adaptation of Wilde’s solitary novel The Picture Of Dorian Gray, receives its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival this summer before taking its London bow at Sadler’s Wells on 2 September.
Dorian Gray is a dark piece exploring the destructive power of beauty, the blind pursuit of pleasure and the darkness that can be hidden behind a beautiful, charming façade. Set in the highly image-conscious worlds of contemporary art and politics, it tells the sinister fairytale of a young man who makes a pact with the devil; Dorian Gray becomes an ‘It Boy’, an icon of beauty and truth in an increasingly ugly world.
This new production, the first in almost three years for Bourne’s New Adventures company, sees Bourne reunited with composer Terry Davies, designer Lez Brotherston and lighting designer Paule Constable, the team behind Bourne’s Play Without Words, which won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Best Choreography in 2003.
Dorian Gray also sees Bourne draw together a team of his most trusted dancers including Richard Winsor (Gray), who originated the role of Edward Scissorhands, Michela Meazza (Lady H), Aaron Sillis (Basil Hallward), Scott Ambler, Ashley Bain, Jared Hageman, Chris Marney and Shaun Walters.
MA