STC’s acclaimed The Picture of Dorian Gray encore season extended

The encore season of Sydney Theatre Company’s critically-acclaimed adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, currently playing Roslyn Packer Theatre, has been extended until 14 May.

Adapted and directed by STC Artistic Director Kip Williams,

This breathtaking and vibrantly contemporary mash up of theatre and cinema sees Eryn Jean Norvill nimbly shapeshift to play all 26 characters of Wilde’s iconic tale. A performance described as “one of the greatest ever seen on an Australian stage’ (Time Out), the show employs multiple live cameras and pre-recorded video which allow Norvill (Suddenly Last Summer, Romeo and Juliet) to create an audacious cascade of theatrical transformations.

In addition to 5 new shows performed by Eryn Jean Norvill, this encore season will see Nikki Shiels (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) take on this solo role for one additional performance on Wednesday 11 May. This is in addition to the two performances already on sale that Shiels will perform: two matinees on Saturday 30 April and 7 May. All other performances in the Sydney season will be performed by Eryn Jean Norvill.

Williams:

He was delighted to be remounting the production and praised the epic collaborative efforts of Eryn Jean Norvill, who is also dramaturg and creative associate, alternate performer Nikki Shiels and the creative and technical team who have brought his ambitious vision to life.

It is incredibly humbling that Sydney has responded so enthusiastically to this return season. I am immensely proud of this production and in awe of Eryn Jean’s spectacular performance and the extraordinary work of our team of sublimely talented artists and technicians.

This is a physically and technically demanding role and I am thrilled that Nikki Shiels has taken on the challenge as an alternate performer so that we can share this one-person show with even more audiences.

Oscar Wilde’s novel is a classic work in which any generation will find meaning, particularly given the way Dorian’s relationship to his portrait mirrors one’s own relationship with one’s interior life. There’s something very exciting about how contemporary and resonant Wilde’s interrogation of narcissism and the cult of the individual feels.

The Picture of Dorian Gray premiered in 2020 to five-star reviews, a sold-out season and two season extensions. In March this year, the company toured to Adelaide Festival for a celebrated season and in June, thanks to a landmark partnership between STC and Michael Cassel Group, the production will play at the Arts Centre Melbourne as part of Rising Festival.

The show also took out four Sydney Theatre Awards earlier this year, including Best Mainstage Production, Best Direction of a Mainstage Production (Kip Williams), Best Performance in a Leading Role in a Mainstage Production (Eryn Jean Norvill) and Best Stage Design of a Mainstage Production (Marg Horwell and David Bergman).

Wilde’s century-old moral fable, packed with witticisms, is as devilishly wicked today as on its debut. Seeing himself in a dazzling new portrait, an exquisite young man makes a Faustian wish for eternal youth. Dorian Gray throws himself into a life of wanton luxury drifting from the pampered salons of Victorian London to the darkest recesses of the capital, and revelling in the splendour of his beauty which remains forever golden. Meanwhile, the portrait – banished to an attic – becomes more and more grotesque.

Step into the rehearsal room with the cast and creatives to discover how this feast for the senses comes together live on stage.

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