Yugoslav Drama Theatre, Belgrade, premiere 10th October 2025
Director Nataša Radulović’s production of Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, for the Yugoslav Drama Theatre uses a deeply introspective, almost painterly language to capture the essence of the text and allow the story’s emotional and symbolic layers to unfold with clarity. Each character is shaped with striking precision. .
Wilde’s only novel tells of a young man who makes a wish to remains beautiful while his portrait withers and ages. Radulović establishes clear dramatic relationships from the start, while opening a series of provocative questions surrounding identity. Beauty is explored from both classical and contemporary – indeed, even neoliberal- aesthetic perspectives, forming a modern and richly layered interpretation of Wilde’s themes.
The performance begins with a chorus, a remarkably sharp and effective element that sets the tone for what will come. It consists of an older woman, played by Vesna Čipčić, and a feminine-presenting man, portrayed by male actor Teodor Vinčić. His portrayal – fluid, witty, and subtly erotic – of a trans woman has a double-purpose. She appears both as a figure of tenderness and as a keen observer of human hypocrisy, grounding the production in a blend of vulnerability and sharp social commentary.
The characters of Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotton – two men who are, each in their own way, mesmerized and undone by Dorian’s beauty – are central to the success of any production of Dorian Gray. Here, precise character work is combined with Biljana Grgur’s striking costume design, which are anchored in the novel’s 1890s, yet also feature modern silhouettes and baroque textures, allowing the clothing to evolve alongside the characters. Stefan Jevtović brings a quiet emotional clarity to the modest, deeply romantic painter Basil Hallward. His performance maintains a delicate balance: his loyalty and affection for Dorian are always accompanied by a subtle note of worry and restrained disappointment. In contrast, Lord Henry Wotton – Dorian’s elegant corrupter, his philosophical tempter, the smooth manipulator who gives beauty its most dangerous language – is played by Srđan Timarov with a disarming charm, emphasized by his occasional use of a Biblical apple. The apple becomes a recurring sign of temptation, sin, and the inevitable collapse that follows – most poignantly echoed in the first love scene between young Sibyl Vane, played by Jana Nenadović, and the tender, unsuspecting Dorian. Dorian himself is typically something of an elusive figure, and so it proves here, but Joakim Tasić gives a convincing portrayal of the character’s gradual downfall.
The Picture of Dorian Gray. Photo; Jovo Marjanovic
Jasmina Holbus’s modular scenography, which animates the world of the painting and accelerates the collapse of beauty’s ideal, enhances the production. Two elements stand out for their departure from the period aesthetic: a movable metal structure that shifts in meaning as much as in space, and the use of aerial silk, which lends several key scenes an added sense of ritualistic beauty. Working in harmony with Ana Krstajić’s ethereal music and Marta Bjelica’s graceful movement direction, the scenography creates vivid, exotic fragments that pay quiet tribute to art itself – its history, its symbols, and its enduring struggle to understand the true power of beauty.
What makes Radulović’s direction so compelling is her ability to balance time and space on stage. She leads the audience through memory and forgetting, bringing characters to life as keen observers of human behaviour, and giving voice to the echoes of the past. Rather than simply modernizing Wilde’s story, Radulović finds its inner rhythms and draws from them a sense of the future, showing how its themes remain relevant today. The chorus in the production, rather than just commenting on the story, acts as a collective of hidden witnesses—emerging quietly at key moments to watch, reflect, and amplify the tension of the scenes.
As in her previous work on the Ćirilov Stage, Radulović emphasizes the physical presence of the actors. At times, she guides them toward subtle physical transformations, enhancing the tactile and emotional impact of each moment. This is especially visible in the choreography by Jana Nenadović and Teodor Vinčić.
The Picture of Dorian Gray on this stage becomes a meditation on the human condition. Beauty surrounds us, fragile and fleeting, yet it shapes everything it touches- from sin to wisdom, from vice to eternity. In this production, beauty is experienced in multiple ways: as atmosphere, as language – and as artistic form.
Credits:
Director and Translator: Nataša Radulović // Composer: Ana Krstajić // Set Designer: Jasmina Holbus // Costume Designer: Biljana Grgur // Movement Coach: Marta Bjelica // Speech Coach: Ljiljana Mrkić Popović // Stage Manager and Prompter: Daša Velimirović
Cast: Joakim Tasić, Srđan Timarov, Stefan Jevtović, Jana Nenadović, Vesna Čipčić, Teodor Vinčić
For tickets and more information, visit: jdp.rs
Ana Matić is a Belgrade-based theatre producer and critic whose work is defined by an analytical approach to harnessing theatrical means in their full capacity and a refined artistic awareness of the audience and its experience. She is the co-founder of Nibiru, an independent art collective committed to experimental and unconventional approaches to performance. She is currently pursuing studies in the Theory of Dramatic Arts at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade.
