A look back: Tony Award nominee Sarah Snook on 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' opening night
The Succession star, who previously won an Olivier Award for her solo performance in this show in London, is now up for Best Actress for her Broadway debut.
Sarah Snook has a message for audiences coming to see her in The Picture of Dorian Gray: "Buckle up." In 2024, she won an Olivier Award for playing every role in the stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel in London, and now she's making her Broadway debut with the show — and earned a 2025 Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play to boot.
"The whole thing is really fun; I really enjoy doing the show," she told New York Theatre Guide at the show's opening night in March. "It's exhausting, but at the end of it, I do feel restored in a funny kind of post-exercise, workout way."
The show surely is a workout, and "a high level of concentration and keeping attention to adrenaline is important," she said. In the adaptation by Kip Williams, who is also up for a Tony for Best Director of a Play, Snook is "firing on all cylinders" as she does frequent quick changes all over the stage, acts opposite pre-recorded footage of herself projected on gigantic screens, and interacts with camera operators capturing her every move on stage.
Marg Horwell and David Bergman were also jointly nominated for their scenic design, and Horwell for her costume design of the production that blends modern tech with period garb. The entire Dorian Gray team was also involved in the London production alongside Snook, who's relished getting to perform the show on both sides of the pond.
"There's a few jokes that have landed differently here than they did in London," Snook reflected. "Broadway audiences are really willing to laugh and to be entertained. They want to have a good time. And it's a great experience to feel the difference between the two audiences."
Though it includes plenty of verbal and physical humor, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a cautionary tale of a handsome man who wishes for eternal youth, but a painting of himself shows the decaying state of his soul. Williams's tech-forward production highlights Dorian's vanity and excess and points out how those vices still dominate the digital age.
"There's a lot of comedy, a lot of humor, a lot of tragedy and sorrow," Snook said. "It's a really special story that feels important to tell at this moment. It is a book from the 1800s Victorian era, but it feels very relevant for today."
On the day of her Tony Award nomination, she acknowledged she couldn't tell that story alone. "I am truly honored and grateful, especially to be nominated alongside my brilliant director, Kip Williams, and the incredible technical and creative team that pours their heart and soul into this show eight times a week," she said in a written statement. "Although this is a one-woman show, it would be impossible without the extraordinary crew and talented collaborators supporting me both on and off stage.”
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Photo credit: Sarah Snook in The Picture of Dorian Gray. (Photo by Marc Brenner)
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