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Dorian is a work-in-progress. In fact, it has been "in progress" for something like 15 years. It originated from a futuristic rock opera about space that was being written by the team of musician Ted Dykstra and lyricist Steve Mayoff, who at the time were fresh into their careers. Steve and Ted had collaborated together for almost 8 years writing a host of songs and wanted to do a full-scale musical. The space theme just wasn't working, so they decided to junk it and tackle Oscar Wilde's classic, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
 Early Dorian
As they got into the book, which was set in the late 1800s, they decided to modernize the concept. Dorian morphed from an upper class English gentleman to an aspiring male fashion model in the late 20th century. Since both Ted and Steve had other career interests, Dorian was a part-time project. Work progressed, however, and at the end of 1987, it was work-shopped in Toronto, which resulted in a live tape of the audio. To say it was received with enthusiasm was to put it mildly. The first version of Dorian absolutely rocked the house. For the people who experienced it, it was really something. Nevertheless, nothing came of the workshop and the years melted away with mild excitement, but nobody stepping to the plate to fund a production. Incidentally, the first version and several very good songs that are no longer in the show, are still in the library and might be made available as collectors' items as the site evolves.
In The Studios
In 1995, excitement built again when Steve Caswell put up the funds to go into the studio to do a professional version of the songs. The work was again showcased with absolutely rave reviews. This time, a major league Broadway producer stepped to the plate and obtained rights to a full production. It finally looked like Dorian was on the way. In fact, Steve and Ted commenced work on a series of new songs that really flushed out the storyline. As exciting as it seemed, a few bad breaks took place and the Broadway producer backed out of the project, leaving Dorian as a true diamond-in-the-rough. Of its 23 songs, 13 were done in a first class studio with full production and 10 were done live in workshops held in 1996 and 1997, although with reasonably high quality.
Furthermore, while the early songs are all excellent, many of the new songs represent Ted Dykstra's best work as a musician. They're just exceptional. One of the interesting aspects of exploring Dorian now is that you can hear the music in its rawest, freshest form before it is fully-produced. You'll also get a chance to put in your two cents on the discussion boards, so that you can be part of shaping the final versions of the songs, and the order in which they're played.
The Book and the Musical
It should be noted that there is a wide divergence between the book and the musical. While the fundamental plotlines are the same, there are many specific differences, particularly the names and occupations of the characters, and the order in which some of the events take place. Dorian's girlfriend in the book, the actress Sybil Bain, becomes the photographer's apprentice, Rose. The portrait's painter, Basil Hallword, becomes Norman, a struggling fashion photographer. Dorian's mentor in the book, Lord Henry Wotton, turns into his modern-day manager, Rhonda.
Another important character in the story, Sybil's brother, does not appear in the book. While the brother existed in early versions of the musical, he was written out in later versions because it simplified the plotline. So if you've read the book, don't be surprised when you see the differences. In fact, one of the interesting discussions is whether you would have made the same decisions Ted and Steve made about the characters.
Go to Act 1 - The Beginnings
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