"To convince the world it was a work of fiction... was a triumph!"

March 2008. So very long ago, and yet not that long gone. There was but a month left until the triumphant return of The Doctor and Donna Noble and later that year, an internet critic of great repute would begin to spread his opinions throughout. Over at the Big Finish Towers, an idea was hatched and conceived in the form of The Phantom Of The Opera, the first of a new range known as the Big Finish Classics. However, it would be another four years before the ranges continuation would be taken up upon. Then, the year after, a certain range's notoriety saw the potential of the Classics explode. And it all started with a picture. A picture we would have to conceived in our own minds....

BIG FINISH CLASSICS REVIEW

OSCAR WILDE'S THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY

By Jack Ryan

BEWARE: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

To say that this novel had a reputation is an understatement. In fact, I daresay it had a decent enough following well before Handcock and Vlahos appeared. Notable as the only published novel of English born Irish writer Oscar Wilde, it shows us a side of humanity that all are capable of but few decide to embrace, how to accept the consequences of our actions and that the clock of one's body can't be turned back or stopped. With numerous film and TV adaptations, including the notable 1945 film with George Sanders and Angela Lansbury, and most recently the 2009 film starring Ben Barnes and Colin Firth, it seemed only a matter of time until Big Finish took on this immortal and immoral faustian tale of hedonism and regret...

Basil Halward is a noted and respected member of the elite of London, whose works of art have been appreciated all over the capital. Lord Henry Wotton is a noted, but notorious member of the elite of London, whose hedonistic acts keep the tabloids and penny-dreadfuls in business. Dorian Gray is a newly arrived heir to a Mayfair estate, youthful, musically talented and just physically beautiful. No wonder he has become Basil's latest muse for his painting. But when the thoughts and philosophies of Harry Wotton begin to win over Mr Gray, he makes a pact; his soul for everlasting youth and life, and his painting shall take the burden. Passed of as a joke, Dorian soon begins to discover that his pact has been fulfilled; he is immortal...
...and that is when his life begins to come crashing down.

Adapting a classic work of literature is always a piece of risky business. You're torn between giving your own interpretation of the subject matter, whilst also making it recognisable enough for fans of said subject matter. So who else would this gargantuan task fall to than the talents of writer David Llewellyn and director Scott Handcock, having already proved themselves with the fantastically successful Confessions Of Dorian Gray series? Fans of that will notice some style similarities in this adaptation and the style of the aforementioned series, such as Dorian's narration and the slight but noted descriptions of the characters we got in the series match the way those characters are presented here. But as for respecting the original source material, Llewellyn and Handcock truly know the book and master adapting it down to a tee, making me go as far as to say it probably is the most faithful adaptation of the novel out there.

But writing is but a single aspect of making a good adaptation. To make it perfect, the words must be complimented with the right voices. And by Wilde's luscious locks, is this cast good! Thanks to Handcock's work on the Bernice Summerfield range, he's been able to borrow the glorious Miles Richardson as Lord Henry Wotton who excels in his hedonistic catalytic role. Alongside we have the likes of Marcus Hutton as Basil Halward, Aysha Kala as the glamourous Sybil Vane, with James Unsworth as her brother James, regular BF collaborator Ian Hallard as Alan Campbell, and Paul Jones, Louise Faulkner, Jolyon Westhorpe and Thomas Rees-Kaye rounding off the cast. But, as always, the highlight of the story and the cast....

ALEXANDER BLOODY VLAHOS!!!!!!

Reprising his role as the titular hedonist, Vlahos acting is brought to near fruition here. Going from innocent to infatuated to hedonistic to practically his entire range of performance, he is a pure delight to listen to as he once again breaks our hearts into a million pieces. And helping that is the cinematic and beautiful score by Confessions composer, James Dunlop, whose work here is so amazing that they just went and stuck it all on the release! As for the sound design, Robbie Dunlop (unknown if related to James) masters every sound, every step, every brushstroke and every stab, to a tee.

In 2012, Treasure Island showed that the company could do classic adaptations. This proved, once and for all, that they are brilliant at them. Being a fantastic performance by the cast and a perfect adaptation from Handcock and Llewellyn, it paved the way for more classics to grace our ears, from Frankenstein to Dracula, to Carnacki and Wizard Of Oz, not to mention, the upcoming releases of War Of The Worlds and Jekyll and Hyde. The Phantom Of The Opera was to show that it could be done, Treasure Island showed that they wanted to do it. This shows that we want it and that we love it.

VERDICT: 5/5 Beautiful. Nothing else, just, beautiful... ;D