Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray is a full-length narrative dance-theatre work adapting Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, relocated to the contemporary fashion industry. It premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2008 before transferring to Sadler's Wells in London the following month, with an original score by Terry Davies played by a rock quintet and designs by Lez Brotherston.
What is danced
The article does not describe specific steps, holds or technical vocabulary danced in the piece; it discusses the work mainly through its updated storytelling (Dorian as a model, Lady Henrietta replacing Lord Henry, Cyril the male ballet dancer replacing Sybil, a billboard advertisement standing in for the portrait). It notes only in general terms that reviewers praised 'the imaginative choreography, costume changes and staging,' without specifying what that choreography consisted of.
Context
Nothing in the article situates the work against a wider dance-historical moment beyond noting it as a 2008 stage adaptation; any placement of it within Bourne's broader practice of reworking classic narratives for popular dance-theatre audiences would be drawn from outside knowledge rather than this source.
Staging history
The production opened at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2008, where its run sold over 11,000 tickets, described in the article as 'the biggest selling dance event in the festival's history.' It then transferred to Sadler's Wells Theatre in London the following month, September 2008.
How to watch it
Watch for how the production substitutes visual and narrative devices for Wilde's plot mechanics: a billboard advertising campaign stands in for the portrait, and the mentor figure Lord Henry becomes Lady Henrietta. The article gives no detail on step vocabulary, so approach the piece as narrative dance-theatre in which character and staging carry as much weight as pure movement.