The Gray and its creator Anthony Palermo are Wilde and glam

16 APR 2023 - Rehearsal photos by Lindsey Middleton

"The text is inherently very queer. I mean, it’s Oscar Wilde," says Anthony Palermo of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Palermo has adapted Wilde's classic novel into a glam rock musical, The Gray, set in the '70s in what would become Toronto's gay village. "I actually didn’t originally set out for this piece to be a musical per se. I began conceptualizing The Gray about two years ago when I was drawn to the inherently queer themes in the text and relationships between the characters. Something about that stuck out to me, and in discovering a relationship between the source material and modern queer beauty ideals, I was interested in exploring how these two things could work together to inherently create something that goes beyond words to unlock deeper meaning."

Most versions of The Picture of Dorian Gray have muted the queerness into subtext. Not The Gray. "I think all the work I create seeks to flesh out queerness in any capacity and bring it to the forefront," says Palermo, "be it through writing, composition, or directing. I also think that the themes of the show are inherently related to gay beauty standards, queer notions of what it means to build a family, find home, and find, or not find, self-love, and what we do when we cannot find that as people who have never fit in. I would say The Gray is loosely inspired by Wilde’s original text. While the character dynamics are similar in nature, this is a heavy adaptation which brings all of them into a completely new context. I used Wilde’s text as a jumping off point– but ultimately, I had to ask myself the question; who would these characters be in Toronto’s Gay Village in 1978?"

Why the '70s? "I am a lover of the '70s in every capacity," says Palermo. "I was inspired by this period of time based off of the real events which transpired in the Village around the '70s and at David’s." David's was a gay bar that flourished in the '70s before sordid events, including murder and possibly arson, hastened its demise. "My inspiration for this setting was CBC’s incredible podcast, The Village, and Justin Ling’s book, Missing from the Village. I was so intrigued and horrified by the treatment of the queer community during that time period. Specifically around the inaction of the Toronto Police during the disappearances and killings of people from the area, oftentimes not even investigated and just chalked it up to a 'gay killing.' Why was this allowed to occur? Why did no one stop it? But more importantly, who was doing it? I was interested in investigating the duality between the violence coming from inside the community set in the political backdrop of an inactive 'protective system.' As for the fire, you’ll have to see the show to find out."

And of course the music, that brief flowering of hard-hitting androgyny and nascent queerness that David Bowie birthed in an explosion of sequins and power chords. "I was inspired by glam rock for its theatrical nature," says Palermo. "I didn’t want the music in this show to feel like traditional contemporary musical theatre music. I wanted to create a fusion of that glam rock sound we all know and love with storytelling aspects to further this narrative."

Glam rock, and theatre, is dependent on vocal chops as well as charisma. "Nick Palazzolo who plays Dorian brings the drive of a star on the rise," says Palermo. "Driving charm, and the most incredible supernova voice. He can perfectly encapsulate a beauty-obsessed gay who would do anything to be the hottest twink in the club. And Nell Khayutin is not Angela Lansbury’s Sibyl in any capacity. Sibyl Vanity in The Gray is a genderqueer rockstar who is funny, filled with wit, and an activist in the community. Nell brings the most beautiful authentic energy to this character and I’m so happy for them to be reprising their role from the original audio-drama production."

The Gray began its journey as the gray: a wilde audio drama (Spotify links at anthony-palermo.com). "Both Liam Peter Donovan, playing Henry, and Nell, playing Sibyl, are reprising their roles from the original audio drama produced by Victoria College Drama Society at UofT. It’s been great to see them develop with the piece, but it's also been amazing to have new voices and actors in for the other roles. It definitely makes the process easier with those I’ve already worked with because they have a deeper understanding of who these characters are. Especially because the original series was around four hours of content, and this show runs around 90 minutes. The show has definitely been tightened and stream-lined for the stage adaptation. It’s been great to spend this workshop period to find where the heart, and musical heart, of this story is. What remains are the messages and core themes of the show and conversations I set out to have in the original. Finding a queer home, Exploring self-authenticity, and power dynamics in queer relationships."

The Gray is being presented as an 'in concert' presentation over three performances at the hallowed Hart House Theatre. "I’m hoping for a professional full production soon," says Palermo. "This concert production has been great to get a sense of how the piece flows onstage with a live audience, and I would be thrilled to tell this story to its full capacity. It would also be incredible to do a production in the Village. That would be super special. For myself, I have a real passion for writing new musical works about Canadian queer history. I’m graduating from university this spring, and I can’t wait to begin my professional career of writing and composing for theatre and beyond, centering around queerness and self-authenticity. If you want more info on my upcoming projects, you can check out my website, anthony-palermo.com."