Review: Sock 'N' Buskin's THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY at Kailash Mital Theatre

Mounting a production of Robert Kauzlaric’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is an ambitious product for any company, let alone student-run Sock 'N' Buskin, even if they do have 81 seasons' worth of experience.

Based on Oscar Wilde's novel of the same name, The Picture of Dorian Gray's title character hides his portrait away in the attic where only he can lay eyes on it. As the years pass, his friends openly marvel at his youthful appearance, not realizing that the secret to his unmarred face - and what it masks - is buried within his painted likeness.

This play is challenging for many reasons, but the most obvious one is that almost all the characters have an older and younger counterpart. As they are often on stage together, the director (Teresita Thorne) must ensure that it is clear to the audience who is who, and what the appropriate time frame is.

Thorne spoke with me about some of the challenges they faced directing such a complex show. "One of the biggest challenges ... was finding a way to capture Oscar Wilde’s world, with all its beautiful intricacies, within the timeline and with the resources we had at hand. It was a complicated production because I wanted to do justice to both the book and the adaptation. Wilde had the ability to paint moments where gusts of blossoms, birdsong, perfume, and drapery all collide in a perfectly orchestrated sequence, at just the right romantic and haunting moment. Kauzlaric’s adaptation added the challenge of interwoven timelines, where the characters most affected by Dorian Gray tell their stories from both the past and the future. I knew that with so many moving pieces, it would take a village to bring it all together."

Thorne tackled these challenges admirably well, having the characters cross paths before the opening curtain as a way of introducing them to the audience, and by having them wear similar costumes (beautifully designed by Zoe Pruys and Sofiya Vidyapina).

Cast performances were strong, with Bo Doyle standing out with his portrayal of the younger Lord Henry. He paid attention to every detail of his character's eccentricities, resulting in a completely riveting performance. The role of Dorian Gray was also well cast, with Archer Malloch able to convey Gray's inner struggles convincingly.

Thorne noted that the crew curated items for the set through multiple sources. "We sourced and reclaimed secondhand and borrowed materials, built an immersive world with visuals and sounds, and had our actors workshopping scenes with a collaborative approach to bring the most out of their characters." The set is just grand enough to hint at the luxury in which Gray lives, without having too many props potentially limiting the movement of multiple actors on stage.

The final scene was slightly anticlimactic, as the scene was first narrated and then acted out, rather than being done simultaneously.  The scene would also have been more dramatic had they used an actor to play the part of the portrait in that final scene.

When asked to comment on any similarities between Dorian Gray masking his true nature in his portrait and social media influencers promoting carefully curated versions of themselves online, Thorne stated that the play "is the perfect story to highlight the struggle between one's shadow self and the facade one presents to the world. I think, with the ability to manipulate our image and persona so easily today, our daily lives can quickly become like the bodies we hide in the closet, so to speak."

The success of The Picture of Dorian Gray is a testament to the hard work of the cast and crew to take a complex work and make it their own. Thorne stared that their directorial vision was to highlight "the power of others' influence and the impact of the interconnected relationships we build in life". Mission accomplished!

The Picture of Dorian Gray was performed at the Kailash Mital Theatre at Carleton University from March 20th through 23rd. To stay up to date on Sock 'N' Buskin's future productions, head over to www.socknbuskin.com.

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