13 – 15 February
“What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
In 1887, the Canadian artist Frances Richards produced a portrait of Oscar Wilde during her stay in London. So moved was the subject by the finished painting, he jested with typical wit: “What a tragic thing it is. This portrait will never grow older and I shall. If it was only the other way!” And thus was the idea conceived for The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde’s celebrated morality tale of beauty, art and the consequences of vanity.
This latest production, an original adaptation of the novella by Box Tale Soup Theatre Company, condenses the story into a thoroughly engaging 75-minute show, both humorous and haunting, juxtaposing Wilde’s wonderful wit alongside darker and more disturbing themes.
Box Tale Soup was formed in 2012 by Antonia Christophers and Noel Byrne; theirs is a distinctive style; “….packing whole handmade worlds into a vintage trunk with a delicious mix of puppetry, movement, theatre and music.” The Irving Studio Theatre provides the perfect venue for such an intimate and intoxicating performance. Christophers excels in the titular role, with Byrne and long-time associate and director Mark Collier equally impressive as Lord Henry Wotton and Basil Hallward respectively, amongst other roles. However, they are also joined on stage by a supporting cast of eight handcrafted puppets to portray the tale’s other key characters. Byrne and Collier cleverly interchange between personae and breathe very realistic life into these charming puppets through skilful movement and an impressive array of voices and characterisations.
This is a powerful portrait of evil, debauchery and hedonism, one which also teases out the eroticism and homoeroticism of the original text and its contentious challenging of the strict Victorian societal norms which made Wilde such a controversial character. The Gothic horrors of the tale are successfully yet simply conveyed by the artful use of several empty picture frames and the power of suggestion, allied to subtle lighting changes and the cast’s clever use of physical theatre. Indeed, much of the show’s appeal is exactly because of its stripped-down, minimalist staging and the ingenious use of so few props, allowing and encouraging us to focus more on the action as it unfolds a matter of inches away from the audience.
At the same time this evening and in the same building, A Man for All Seasons was playing to an audience of seven hundred. With a cast of sixteen and a considerably larger budget and scale, it is harder to imagine two more different shows. Box Tale Soup have adapted, produced and directed The Picture of Dorian Gray themselves, acting whilst simultaneously operating many of the show’s technical elements from remote controls in their pockets and using props made from recycled and repurposed materials. There is an admirable simplicity about this production.
A contemporary score and some clever choreography help to distance the performance from its traditional roots and adds a more modern feel to proceedings. Even if the show’s denouement is a little inconclusive, inviting us to pass our own final judgement on one of literature’s most famously complex and conflicted characters, nevertheless none of the story’s moral power or ability to shock is lost.
★★★★★ Tony Clarke 14 February 2025
