Not only is London a city of connections (see previous post), it is a city that nurtures obsessives. I include myself in this category. So it was with tremendous pleasure that I met Samuel Orange, last night, a man so obsessed with Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, he has transformed his Greenwich townhouse, including the garden, into a spectacular set for an immersive production of the novel. And what an experience it is.

Dorian Gray is often a “first” for those of us in love with literature, because it is short. Short and funny and scary and full of terrible truths, all penned with a sharpness and wit only possible from Oscar Wilde. I remember well the first time I “discovered” him. My mother took me to see The Importance of Being Earnest at the Cincinnati Playhouse. I must have been about 14, and left the theatre overwhelmed. “How how how can someone write like that,” I asked. I still ask. Genius, in its purest form.

And Dorian Gray is no less perfect, if much more frightening. Narcissism in its most destructive, horrifying state. But irresistable as well. We would all like to be good. But bad is just so fun, and addictive. Toss in eternal youth and you have the perfect storm of evil. And that is why it is easy to understand why someone would live out of an upstairs bedroom and drape the rest of their house with silks and velvet and an ornate four poster bed and oh….I say too much. Much of the experience is exploring the set, litte bit by little bit and being amazed.

Drinks are served periodically, including “absinthe” as a delicious apple snapps. Chatting with strangers is encouraged. A very pretty (think Keira Knightely on a very very good day, minus the irritating voice and mannerisms) young girl sat sat near us at the beginning and we three inclusive matrons of Wandsworth scooped her up immediately. Turns out she is a trainee lawyer and lives with her step-mother, who was in the cast, on a houseboat. Oh I love London.

But what about the play itself? Superb. Could have sat through it all again, immediately. Samuel Orange is an extraordinary Lord Henry, witty and cruel, always hiding his utterly reprehensible behaviour behind a clever comment.

Dorian and his picture are both played by impossibly pretty young boys. They spend a delicious amount of time loving each other up. (I do enjoy a little boy-on-boy.) But this is self love in the extreme. And they destroy everyone they touch. By play’s end you are simultaneously excited and revolted. Perfect.

We were invited to stay after and “meet” the cast, which involved scrumptious vodka martinis, lots and lots of chatter and general hilarity. All in the creepy Victoriana surroundings. One of those late, late nights I will remember forever.

The official name of the production company is The Alchemic Order. In their own words, “The Alchemic Order is a unique collective of creative minds. Within a synergy of media, we propose new rituals of aesthetic transfiguration. Artistic Director, Samuel Orange collaborates with those seeking new dimensions in art, thought and life.” I think that means that Samuel lives his passion and invites others to do so as well. I admire that tremendously.

This production was first performed over the summer (2014) and then revived for the run up to Christmas. Unfortunately that means there are only 2 more shows this season. There was talk of doing it again this coming summer. And maybe something else too. I really, really hope these come to be. If last night is anything to go by, Mr. Orange does obsession well.

http://www.thealchemicorder.com/dorian.html

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