Matthew Bourne's dance adaption of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray will be coming to the Wimbledon Theatre in August, so Graham Moody went up to Sadler's Wells this week to give the show the once over.

Being a bit of a dance theatre novice I was unsure what to expect when I travelled up to Sadler's Wells last night to see Dorian Gray, the new production by acclaimed choreographer Matthew Bourne.

I knew of Oscar Wilde's original novel and knew Bourne had a strong reputation as a master choreographer and director, but I couldn't see how he could bring the story into the modern day as well as turning it into a dance performance without any words.

I should have known better though as the performance was nothing short of superb.

For those that don't know, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel about a young man who gets so infatuated with his beauty he sells his soul to ensure a painting of him will grow old and wither instead of him, leading him on a path of debauched acts and murder until one day he sees the error of his ways.

To bring this into today's world, Bourne has turned Gray into a young model that becomes famous through a billboard picture of him advertising an aftershave.

He gets caught up in the world of showbiz and is turned into an evil character using whoever and whatever he wants to get his own way and it's the billboard instead of the painting that grows more grotesque with every act until his ultimate demise.

Bourne has changed some other things too, including the sex of some of the characters bringing the underlying homoeroticism in Wilde's work to the fore.

Richard Winsor plays Gray and does a superb job involving some truly breathtaking dance scenes and is hardly off the stage throughout the performance.

He does a very good evil smile too which goes perfectly with the character and deserved the standing ovation he got at the end.

In fact, the entire cast of 12 did their jobs really well and a dance scene involving them all in a nightclub was very impressive and good enough for any pop concert.

The only thing that niggled at me a bit was the death scene for Cyril Vane that went on far too long and felt like an Oscar audition and I must admit I got a little lost with the plot in the middle of the second half but soon figured out what was going on.

Other than that the show kept me engrossed for the entire two hours and I would recommend it to everyone looking for an introduction into the dance world.

  • An interview with Matthew Bourne will be run on this website in the lead up to Dorian Gray coming to Wimbledon Theatre in October.
  • Dorian Gray, New Wimbledon Theatre, October 6 to 10, 7.30pm, (Thurs and Sat matinee 2.30pm), £26 - £37. Call 0844 871 7646 or visit newwimbledontheatre.co.uk