Imprisoned by a fearful Herod, the prophet Jokanaan rejects the sexual advances of Herod’s stepdaughter, Salomé. When she is compelled by Herod to dance, Salomé is filled with lust-driven revenge and demands the head of the prophet as payment.
Salomé has fascinated and inspired artists across the ages. Oscar Wilde’s lyrical one-act drama – originally banned in Britain – reinvented Salomé as a powerful and enigmatic figure, both erotic and chaste.
Marking 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, Owen Horsley (Associate Director on the King & Country season) directed a new, contemporary take on Oscar Wilde’s classic, placing sexual ambiguity at the core, with music by American artist Perfume Genius.
Salomé was performed at the Swan Theatre in 2017.
Cast
Herodias - Suzanne Burden
Page of Herodias - Andro Cowperthwaite
Naaman / singer - Ilan Evans
Iokanaan - Gavin Fowler
Jew - Bally Gill
Soldier - Robert Ginty
Soldier - Ben Hall
Nazarene - Christopher Middleton
Soldier - Miles Mitchell
Nazarene - Byron Mondahl
Herod - Matthew Pidgeon
Salomé - Matthew Tennyson
Jew - Jon Trenchard
Tigellinus - Johnson Willis
Jew - Simon Yadoo
Young Syrian - Assad Zaman
Creatives
Director - Owen Horsley
Designer - Bretta Gerecke
Lighting - Kristina Hjelm
Music - Perfume Genius
Sound - Helen Atkinson
Movement - Polly Bennett
Fights - Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown
A SYNOPSIS OF SALOMÉ
A summary of Oscar Wilde's tragedy, which tells the Biblical story of Salomé, first published in 1891 in French.
Salomé is the princess of Judaea, daughter of Queen Herodias, step-daughter to King Herod. Judaea was a province of Ancient Rome during the reign of Julius Caesar.
On the night in question, King Herod and Queen Herodias are hosting a wild, drunken banquet. Salomé sneaks away from this banquet out to the terrace to escape the leery eyes of Herod and his entourage.
On the terrace, Salomé meets a captured young Syrian prince who is totally and completely hypnotised by her beauty. But Salomé doesn't pay attention to him. She's more interested in the mysterious booming voice coming from a prison cell, the voice of Iokanaan, AKA John the Baptist.
Salomé demands to meet this Iokanaan and, though it's against the rules, her wish is granted. She falls in love with him, but Iokanaan rejects her. Even so, Salomé assures him that she will kiss his mouth. No matter what, she WILL kiss his mouth.
At just that moment, Herod and his guests burst onto the terrace looking for Salomé. He becomes increasingly fixated on her. Seeing this, Queen Herodias warns him, with more and more urgency, to stop looking at her. Despite these warnings, and a series of ominous events - Herod starts hearing the distant beating of wings and the moon turns red - he demands that Salomé dance for him.
At first she resists his demands. But, after being promised anything she wishes in return, she agrees. Salomé will dance, the Dance of the Seven Veils. But at what price?
