Everything We Know About Broadway-Bound THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY

As BroadwayWorld reported last week, a stage adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray is coming to Broadway! The play is set to open at a Shubert theater in March for a strictly limited engagement. What do we know so far about the new show?

Oscar Wilde wrote the gothic horror novel in 1891, though a shorter, novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. While the novel was subject to much controversy and criticism in its time, it has come to be recognized as a classic of Gothic literature.

Since its initial publication, it has been the subject of many adaptations to film and stage. In 1913, it was adapted for the stage by G. Constant Lounsbery at London's Vaudeville Theatre. An adaptation was seen on Broadway in 1928, written by David Thorne.

The most critically praised film adaptation is 1945's The Picture of Dorian Gray, which earned an Academy Award for best black-and-white cinematography, as well as a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Angela Lansbury, who played Sibyl Vane.

In 2003, Stuart Townsend played Dorian Gray in the film League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. In 2009, the novel was loosely adapted into the film Dorian Gray, starring Ben Barnes as Dorian and Colin Firth as Lord Henry. Reeve Carney portrays Dorian Gray in John Logan's Penny Dreadful, which aired on Showtime from 2014 to 2016.

This new Broadway-bound version is is adapted and directed by Kip Williams and orginated at Sydney Theatre Company in 2020. It extended twice in Sydney and toured to critical and audience acclaim throughout Australia, featuring Australian star Eryn Jean Norvill. 

The production then moved to London's West End in early 2024, this time with Succession star Sarah Snook. In London, The Picture of Dorian Gray was adored by critics and audiences alike and earned Snook a Best Actress Olivier Award and a Best Costume Design Olivier Award for Marg Horwell.  Check out what the critics had to say.

Wilde’s timeless text is revolutionized by Williams’ celebrated collision of form employing an explosive interplay of video and theater through an intricately choreographed collection of on-stage cameras bringing to life a dizzying 26 characters, each brought to life by Snook.

Williams’ interpretation of beauty, excess, and a deal with the devil brings a striking resonance in our current era, holding a mirror to 21st century society’s narcissistic obsession with youth. 

The production features Set and Costume Design by Marg Horwell, Lighting Design by Nick Schlieper, Composition & Sound Design by Clemence Williams, Video Design by David Bergman, and Eryn Jean Norvill as Dramaturg & Creative Associate. The Broadway production of Sydney Theatre Company’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is produced by Michael Cassel, Adam Kenwright, Len Blavatnik and Danny Cohen, Daryl Roth, Amanda Lipitz and Henry Tisch. Foresight Theatrical is the General Manager and Aaron Lustbader is Executive Producer. Michael Cassel Group is the worldwide Executive Producer.

Addition details regarding the production's theatre are run dates have yet to be announced.