The Picture of Dorian Grey
/Respectful Murders/
by Yuri Dachev
after Oscar Wilde
director Bina Haralampieva
sets & costumes Milena Pantaleeva
music Assen Avramov
premiere 08.10.2004

CAST
Antoni Argirov, Ilia Raev,
Georgi Kadurin, Vladimir Penev,
Aneta Sotirova, Svetlana Bonin,


A June afternoon in London. Perhaps it is yesterday or it is today. In the workshop of a famous artist a sophisticated and savage battle for influence over upcoming saloon star Dorian Grey begins. The artist, his friend – a social animal and his ambitious wife through their passion into the battle which turns out devastating for all. The duels in words turn out to be merely prelude to murders. Respectful. And monstrous.

Yuri Dachev



 
"This is Antoni Argirov’s debut on the stage of the Little City Theatre where he plays Dorian Grey in Bina Haralampieva’s premiere. Demonically handsome, Argirov’s Dorian attracts the men around him and they treat him just as they treat their female lovers – they want to steer him and lead him and model him in accordance with their own understanding of live. It is not an easy task to turn Wilde’s prose into theatre. Obviously Dachev and Haralampieva have taken to the statement of the renown British sneerer who claims this is Frankenstein was created by the people who interfere with the life of Dorian Grey. Wilde serves justice at the end of his novel and punishes Dorian Grey. Bina Haralampieva’s performance punishes not him but those who have tried to influence the young man’s life. The production does not take Wilde’s statements too seriously and quite readily laughs at the artist-model relationship. We can see that in the grotesque character of Ilia Raev who roams about as Mephisto who trades with the artist’s soul."

Dimitar Staikov,
24 Hours Daily,
11 October 2004 ã.