Dorian Gray
Dorian Gray is the man who keeps his youthful good looks forever while a hidden portrait reflects an altogether different image of his selfish and immoral life. In his insatiable search for new sensations and obsessive desire to fulfill them, Dorian breaks one social norm after another, with little thought about the impact on others. Each of his transgressions is reflected in the portrait: Dorian’s face and figure grow hideous, his noble features and striking beauty nearly impossible to discern. Is this the route to ultimate happiness or towards an abyss of indifference and cruelty?
Dorian Gray is a brand new opera based on Oscar Wilde’s only novel, commissioned by Teatr Wielki in Poznań from Elżbieta Sikora, an acclaimed Polish composer based in France. David Pountney has the double role of librettist and director with maestro Jacek Kaspszyk on the conductor’s podium. Through a story about the dangers of the cult of youth, this team addresses some bigger questions. Is Dorian Gray a mirror image of 21st-century society? Can we find an answer to the question of where the eternal struggle between good and evil is leading?
CAST
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Dorian Gray
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Rafał Żurek
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Basil
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Michał Partyka
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Sibyl
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Joanna Freszel
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James
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Łukasz Konieczny
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La Grise
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Gosha Kowalinska
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Dorian Alter Ego
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Mateusz Sierant
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Orchestra
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Poznań Opera Orchestra
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Chorus
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Poznań Opera Chorus
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Music
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Elżbieta Sikora
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Text
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David Pountney after Oscar Wilde
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Director
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David Pountney
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Conductor
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Jacek Kaspszyk
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Sets and costumes
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Dorota Karolczak
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Lights
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Fabrice Kebour
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Video
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David Haneke
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Choreography
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Diana Cristescu
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Chorus master
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Mariusz Otto
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Sound effects
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Marcin Baran
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Story
Act I
Photographer Basil Hallward is captivated by Dorian Gray. During their photo session, he takes countless pictures, barely containing the emotions the young man evokes in him.
Without Dorian’s consent, Basil uploads Dorian’s photos to a social media platform called Bric-à-Brac. They instantly go viral, with the online community sharing them at a staggering pace. An avalanche of invitations and notifications floods Dorian’s phone, in particular featuring a young woman called Sybil. She has become obsessed with Dorian, who she knows by the nickname Basil used to create Dorian’s online account: Prince Charming. Sibyl, who has no living parents, is looked after by her elder brother James, a sailor on a merchant ship. Even though he is at sea, he still keeps a close watch on his sister.
Initially this is an exuberant experience for Dorian, but the social media community changes its view in a flash, and Dorian is subjected to a barrage of poisonous comments. He urges Basil to close the account but according to Basil this is now impossible: the continually shared pictures have taken on a life of their own.
Sybil manages to find her way to Dorian in the real world, but the meeting is a disaster. Dorian, irritated by his previous argument with Basil, treats her with contempt, and then thoughtlessly gives her the drugs that Basil had specifically warned him about. La Grise tells Sybil to give her the drugs, but Sybil refuses and in fact La Grise’s intervention has the effect of pushing Sybil towards taking an overdose from which she eventually dies.
Act II
A party at Basil’s house is interrupted by a police raid. The police are investigating Sybil’s death, but they are unable to pin anything concrete onto Dorian or Basil. But they do warn Dorian that James is seeking revenge for Sybil’s death. Dorian seeks to redeem himself by engaging in humanitarian work in a war zone. He is briefly euphorically happy in this work, but by carelessly leaving his mobile phone behind in the cinema which is serving as a hospital, he makes it vulnerable to attack. A drone tracks it and devastates the building, killing many patients. When Basil continues to photograph these innocent victims, Dorian is enraged and, seizing a Guard’s pistol, he shoots him. Once again, James arrives too late to deliver his rough justice.
In the aftermath of this disaster, Dorian is hospitalised, grappling with PTSD and opioid addiction. La Grise steers Dorian away from the hospital once again just in time to evade James. She and Dorian join a homeless street community, and are witnesses when James, finally convinced he can confront Prince Charming, is blown away by a passing truck. La Grise helps Dorian to destroy his image, finally releasing himself from its curse, but at the cost of his life.
David Pountney
Video
GALLERY
