‘Dorian: The Musical’ Southwark Playhouse – Review
There was a time, way back, when being gay was positively dangerous. Trust me, I’m old enough to remember. Today, being gay is yesterday’s news; today danger lies instead in seizing the wrong pronoun.
Progress.
So a gender fluid musical has gotta go some to be noticed in a world where compassion and humanity take second place to the sticks and stones of grammar. How does Dorian: The Musical do? Have a read of the reviews – I’ve linked to some below. They’re all quite wise.
BUT
I’m also old enough to remember Mike Reed’s 2004 ‘Oscar Wilde’ which, after running for all of one night at the Shaw Theatre, nearly wiped out the dear chap (Mike, not Oscar). And that’s the point isn’t it. Good or bad, happy or sad, everything that passes across the stage becomes part of our cultural history, our common experience, a stepping stone for burgeoning talent and a beacon of hope for the new. It’s not always the winning that matters; for set designers, lighting peeps, costumiers, actors and musicians its the taking part, and for that we must thank all the Linnie Reedman’s and Joe Evans’, all the Ruby’s in the Dust, the directors, writers and producers, and of course the investors who bother to take a risk on the grammar of their art.
So go and see it. Go and see some great young talent before they appear in shows you can’t afford, put on by people probably taking less real risk than the good sorts standing behind this one.
by Chris Parkinson
Reviews: