The man who played Curly Watts in Coronation Street for 20 years is heading to Swansea as one of the nastiest characters in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Kevin Kennedy plays Mr Isaacs in The Picture of Dorian Gray: A New Musical, which comes to the Grand Theatre on Wednesday 13 January.
The role marks 50 years since he started performing, at the age of 14.
Isaacs runs an old theatre, with the young actress Sibyl Vane as his protégée, and Kennedy has little good to say about him. “Isaacs is a pretty deplorable human being with virtually no redeeming features whatsoever, which, of course, makes him absolutely delightful to play!” he said.
Why Kevin Kennedy took on a brand-new Dorian Gray musical
The show is a new, sung-through musical version of Wilde’s 1890 Gothic novel. It follows a young man whose beauty, wealth and charm become his downfall after a single wish ties his fate to a mysterious portrait.
Kennedy said the fact that it was an entirely new production was part of the attraction, and made it “equally exciting and slightly terrifying”.
“Occasionally I like to do something that scares the pants off me,” he said.
He thinks the story has never felt more current. “At its heart, it’s a story about unchecked ego, vanity, celebrity and power and I’m not sure you could find themes much more relevant today,” he said.
He added: “There’s almost a Stephen King-meets-Oscar Wilde quality to it, with this wonderfully sinister atmosphere.”
From Curly Watts to the West End, and back to Swansea Grand Theatre
As well as his two decades on the cobbles, Kennedy’s West End credits include Chicago, We Will Rock You and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
He was last at the Grand in 2023, when Rock of Ages came to Swansea with Kennedy as club owner Dennis.
Theatre was always the plan, he says. “That was always my main ambition. It’s what I trained for and where I started my career,” he said.
“I found my way into television along the way, but I’ve now spent much of the last 20 years performing on stages around the world.”
Whatever the medium, he said, it comes down to one thing. “Ultimately, whatever the medium, I love telling stories,” he said.
He added: “We need laughter, we need heroes and villains and perhaps more importantly than ever, we need the occasional happy ending.”
Dorian Gray musical tour reaches Swansea in January
The 13-strong cast opens the UK tour at Darlington Hippodrome on 19 October.
The show’s creator, Mark Middlemiss, said having someone of Kennedy’s “experience and standing” involved was “incredibly exciting”.
“He’s a household name, but he’s also a fantastic actor, and he brings real star quality to the role of Mr Isaacs,” he said.
He’s one of two Coronation Street names at the Grand early next year: Mollie Gallagher plays Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs there from 16 February.
Tickets are on sale through swanseagrand.co.uk.
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