Washington Post - Recommended
"...All of these elements, plus Ben Cunis’s sturdy fight choreography, mingle with special harmony this time around. If any aspect of the production could stand a bit of tweaking, though, it would be in the character of Dorian: We’re not given nearly enough of a window into his nature. “I think it’s sad,” Tolentino’s Dorian says, early on. “As I grow old, this will always remain young. If only it were the other way.” The wish is clearly expressed, but it would be helpful to have a more refined understanding along the way of who Dorian is, and how protracted physical perfection corrupts him."
Talkin Broadway - Somewhat Recommended
"...Synetic Theater's current production of The Picture of Dorian Gray demonstrates, sadly, that it is indeed possible to have too much of a good thing. Synetic has packed so much of its trademark physicality, striking stage pictures, and never-ending musical score into two and a half hours including intermission (an hour longer than most of its productions) that eventually the spectacle becomes numbing."
Washington Life - Recommended
"...The sinister hopelessness of the story is enhanced by the minimalist set designed by Daniel Pinha. It consists of several screens where indefinable misty movements are projected in an effective multimedia design by Riki K. Then, at the end of Act 1, large Plexiglas squares are moved to the edge of the stage isolating the actors from the audience. The remarkable Synetic ensemble in orgiastic movements that could have been inspired by Dante, splatter the actors and screens with bright paints as thunderclaps and Konstantine Lortkipanidze’s original music swells, ending the first act. The next act is an emotionally exhausting experience as an aging, still beautiful Dorian is forced to face the reality of the picture that reflects who he really is."
Washington Blade - Highly Recommended
"...And while the exchanges between Carlson’s Lord Henry and Tolentino Dorian gives insight into the title character’s motives and emotional turmoil, the play’s best moment are not spoken. And though this production is without Synetic’s more virtuosic choreographic moves, there are moments of sheer ingenuity. For instance, when Dorian visits an opium den, Irina Tsikurishvili uses splattered Day-Glo paint and a plastic screen to transform one more orgy gone wrong into a stunningly dramatic tableau. It’s just another inspired Synetic moment. And this is why even though “Dorian Gray” is not the company’s most sterling effort, it’s still something beautiful and not to be missed."
ShowBizRadio - Highly Recommended
"..."Some things are more precious because they don't last long." wrote Wilde. Synetic's interpretation of Dorian Gray is well worth a trip into its text-driven journey. The production shows the maturing of a company willing to go well beyond the box of tricks that brought it fame and notice. Try it out with eyes wide open. Sticking the landing is not always the most important or memorable thing in either athletics or art."
MD Theatre Guide - Recommended
"...When first published, one critic condemned Dorian Gray as "a poisonous book, the atmosphere of which is heavy with the mephitic odours of moral and spiritual putrefaction." To his credit, Paata has given us nearly every ounce of putrefaction required; although the homoerotic elements are only hinted at here, Synetic's production offers a thoroughly engrossing passage into the darker recesses of the soul, its ecstasies and fears, and its ultimate need for redemption."
DCTheatreScene - Recommended
You have to hand it to Synetic’s Artistic Director Paata Tsikurishvili. It took courage to turn his back on the basic ‘wordless’ formula that has won the company many accolades with its invented physical theatre style and to set out boldly to discover a new sound, a new style of movement, and, most importantly, a way of driving a production through spoken word. Plucking as source material The Picture of Dorian Gray, a wordsmith’s work, penned originally by Oscar Wilde, proved a good springboard for this challenge. Understandably, some things worked, while some aspects appear very much a work-in-progress.
