Ruby in the Dust Theatre will premiere Dorian: The Musical at Southwark Playhouse Borough (The Large) for a five-week run from July 4th to August 10th, 2024.
Dorian is a lonely boy who yearns for the world to take notice of him. Suddenly, he becomes an overnight musical sensation and discovers the dark side of his wish. Even when he has everything he has ever wanted, his life is still empty.
The iconic lead role of Dorian will be played by emerging talent Alfie Friedman (“The Undeclared War” on Channel 4 and at Peacock; “The Witches of Eastwick” at Sondheim Theatre; “Legacy” at Menier Chocolate Factory; “Laughing Boy” at Jermyn Street Theatre and Theatre Royal Bath). Further casting will be announced.
This striking new musical theatre skilfully explores the dark side of eternal youth with a modern twist. An entirely 21st-century production of the Victorian classic incorporates rock music and social media while it remains true to the bohemian thrill of the original.
The story follows Dorian Gray, a wannabe rockstar with grandiose dreams who strikes a dangerous bargain to achieve success. Inspired by the classic Oscar Wilde novel, the story is retold as a modern queer fairy tale.
This musical retelling explores the heartache as Dorian faces the prospect of eternal glory, opening a Pandora’s box of love, lust, and corruption. Dorian: The Musical presents a glam-rock adaptation of the Gothic story, as the young musician is pulled in every direction by his fans, record producers, and photographers – slowly warping his impressionable mind.
Is Dorian cursed? Has he sold his soul, and can he save it? We follow him on the quest for his true identity as he falls further and further into the belief that loving him means death. Is it too late to change the course of life for “The King Of Black Hearts,” as his adoring fans call him?
Dorian: The Musical – Reviews
This atmospheric and ambitious interpretation is fully updated for 2024 audiences – darker, more explicit, and overtly queer; society’s rules during Oscar Wilde’s life necessitated that he had no choice but to hesitate over the extent of the homoerotic content he should include in his novel. Dorian: The Musical has the freedom to explore this subtext.
Dorian: The Musical began life as a reading at Café Royal, in the same room where Oscar Wilde staged his readings. An earlier version was cancelled two days before it was due to open in March 2020, and that version instead was made available to stream on ‘Stream.Theatre’ during lockdown in 2021. After a workshop at The Other Palace, this version is moodier, edgier, and ultimately more glam.
Featuring music and lyrics by Joe Evans and Book by Linnie Reedman.
Dorian: The Musical runs from 4 July to 10 August 2024, at Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD, United Kingdom.