DORIAN GRAY Riverside Studio, London W6

Oscar Wilde’s Gothic novella is remarkably prophetic of his downfall and certain passages (with hindsight) read as if he were expressing his worst fears. The story’s popularity is undimmed. The novella, first published in 1890, has been translated into every language and endlessly staged, filmed and televised. There have been at least three operas and nine ballets. The present adaptation is terrible, the production is sluggish, the acting is totally inadequate and the famous climax is completely bungled.