Where to start? where to start? Hmmm… The beginning was a long long time ago, Oscar Wilde wrote a book called The Picture of Dorian Gray, which went on to become a classic. In this book a young member of the upper classes called Dorian Gray, who is the epitome of male beauty, has a portrait painted – he muses that he would like to remain as un-ageing as the portrait, and he gets what he wishes for. As Gray leads a more and more debauched life it leaves no mark on him: the drinking, the indulgence in drugs, the womanising – all leave no mark on Dorian – whilst his portrait bears the brunt of his excesses and grows more and more monstrous. The story is a fiction written by Oscar Wilde, but what if it wasn’t? What if Dorian Gray was real? What if he were a peer of Oscar Wilde and Wilde just wrote a sort of biography disguised as fiction? that is the theory that the Confessions of Dorian Gray presents and now in its fourth series we have another eight stories, another eight interludes from the immortal Dorian Gray.
Dorian is real, he lived and still lived and these are his confessions – and the title “confessions” is very apt – these audio stories are unlike any other series the Big Finish have produced.
First of all there is no title or closing theme music – now in itself that isn’t a big deal, but these stories don’t feel like stories – they are a lot more intimate than that.
Secondly, I have a feeling that Mr Gray is not the most reliable of narrators – that the stories he is relaying are merely his take on circumstances, that with hundreds, maybe thousands of years of hindsight from when these events happened to when he tells the story, certain embellishments may have been made.
No – this is a very unique series, in fact the listener is made to feel like a confessor or a psychiatrist as Gray relays his tales of terror and debauchery. The eight stories are in no particular order, they are not consecutive, they flit back and forth throughout Dorian’s long long life – it is almost like Dorian is in the room with you and is unburdening himself, and the stories all have one thing in common – they all deal with the theme of loss. Because as long and as varied as his life is, being immortal Dorian has to deal with loss – sometimes people die, sometimes they move on, sometimes assignations are only fleeting, people and times move on – parties, substance abuse, alcohol and womanising loses its lustre, but Dorian Gray goes on.
And bringing Dorian to life is the one and only Alexander Vlahos – narrating seemingly random tales from Dorian’s life he imbues Gray with a weariness of a man who has lived too long, a man trying to fill in eternity when life has lost its taste where people he has me sometimes become memories and then forgotten altogether – a man so bored of life that in one episode he books himself into “a very nice private hospital” to get his appendix removed just to remove the boredom of existence. Vlahos captures the weariness perfectly and at different points in his life he really does want to do the right thing (or maybe this is just as the unreliable narrator remembers it) but throughout his life he is plagued by demons of one form or another – metaphors for his guilt at the life he has led or literal monsters is up to the listener to decide but the demons are there.
Some audios are good to be listened to with friends or family – The Confessions of Dorian Gray demands to be listened to as a solitary experience, because for the duration of the box set YOU the listener are the confessor and Dorian is talking just to you – give it a try episode one The Enigma of Dorian Gray is available free HERE and you will see what I mean.
I recommend that these reminiscences are accompanied by a glass of fine Shiraz, with the lights dimmed and for you to lose yourself in Dorian’s confessions – I for one will certainly be catching up with the earlier stories and I recommend that you do too. An uncomfortable, intimate and soul-bearing experience, superbly performed and leaving a feeling of loss and melancholy that maybe just one more glass of Shiraz may not take away… 10/10.
Written by Ed Watkinson
SYNOPSIS:
Inspired by Oscar Wilde’s classic story of hedonism and corruption, The Confessions of Dorian Gray imagines a world where Dorian Gray was real, and his friendship with Oscar Wilde once spawned the notorious novel.
Starring Alexander Vlahos as Dorian Gray, this fourth series of supernatural horror stories comprises eight original half-hour episodes.
The Enigma of Dorian Gray by Roy Gill
Salford, 1968. Dorian returns to one of his former universities, having been summoned by his old friend, Adam Notting. Instead, he is greeted by BEAUTY: the product of Notting’s research into artificial intelligence. But is BEAUTY all it seems to be? And what of the BEAST…?
Freya by Sam Stone
Scandinavia, 1974. After rescuing a young woman from the middle of a desolate forest, Dorian realises they’re not alone. There’s something else in the woodland with them – something follow them – and it won’t give up until it’s finally tracked them down.
Human Remains by James Goss
London, 1998. To alleviate a typical bout of boredom, Dorian decides to have his appendix removed – again – and checks himself into “a very nice private hospital”. However, upon his recovery, he sees a hideous creature stalking the wards. Is it just a side-effect of the drugs, his mind playing tricks… or is there something more sinister going on at Melrose Hospital?
His Dying Breath by George Mann
London, 1929. The Bright Young Things of the city are living life to the full, when a series of unusual murders strikes the capital. It isn’t long before Dorian finds himself singled out as a suspect and has to clear his name. But how to prove your innocence when the killer might not even be human…?
Banshee by Xanna Eve Chown
County Meath, 1900. After one Dorian’s friends acquires a house on the Emerald Isle, Dorian travels with him to Ireland to inspect the estate. There, they find a house in disrepair… and a supernatural tenant desperate to vacate the premises.
The Abysmal Sea by David Llewellyn
Greece, 1974. In a last-bid attempt to save their flagging relationship, Dorian Gray and Alyssa Symes embark on a simple sailing holiday in the Aegean. But the deep, still waters hide a terrible danger, and they may end up losing more than just each other…
Inner Darkness by Mark B. Oliver
Iceland, 2009. When a mission to finally see the Northern Lights turns sour, Dorian finds himself stranded in the middle of nowhere. It is only after the kindness of one of the locals that he is rescued, and learns that there may be more to the local legends than meets the eye.
The Living Image by Matt Fitton
England, 1949. A chance encounter on a train propels Dorian into the lives of Mr and Mrs Moore. To him, their lives are ordinary, mundane: the kind of lives he’s always striven to rise above. However, the grass is always greener…
PLUS! The collection also includes a bonus disc of behind-the-scenes interviews with cast and crew.
CAST:
Alexander Vlahos (Dorian Gray), Ayesha Antoine (Flo), Yasmin Bannerman(Alyssa), David Benson (Naval Officer), Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (Billy Fielding), Ross Foley (Medic), Raj Ghatak (Dr. Madras), James Goss (Receptionist), Anthony Howell (Adam Notting), Jacqueline King (Mary O’Tubridy), Bruno Langley (Robert Mardling), Deirdre Mullins (Scarlet Moore), George Naylor (Newsreader), Aaron Neil (Askell Brimson), Katherine Pearce (Freyja), Tim Preston (Waiter), Sakuntala Ramanee (Ruth Miller), Laura Riseborough (Eva Granger), John Sessions(Verger), Connor Vickery (City Chap), Anthony Boyle, Clara Gibbs, Luke MacGregor, Seren Vickers, Betty Walsh (Hospital Patients)
Written By: Roy Gill, Sam Stone, James Goss, George Mann, Xanna Eve Chown, David Llewellyn, Mark B. Oliver, Matt Fitton
Directed By: Scott Handcock
Note: The Confessions of Dorian Gray contains adult material and is not suitable for younger listeners.