This version of Oscar Wilde’s Salomé is described as “a radical new take” on the original work by  Gesher Theatre and offers an extremely different version than I have seen before and certainly don’t want to see again.

Neta Roth takes on the role of Princess Salomé whose beauty and youth beguile one of the soldiers, who adores her from afar and comments on her every move until she enters the stage. The fiesty red-haired Salomé is spirited and unafraid to push the boundaries.

However, her stepfather Herod played by Doron Tavori has an unsettling obsession over Salomé, which is uncomfortable to watch at times. Especially when her Mother Herodias (Lena Frafeld) objected to his whining demands for her to “erotically” dance for him and promised to give her half of his kingdom if she obeyed.

After she has completed his demands, an unsettling scene occurs that leaves her exposed and vulnerable. It’s uncomfortable to watch in places although her final demands disgust Herod and he tries to change her mind by reeling off the jewels etc that he owns to entice her to change her mind.

The stage has a large paddling pool-sized bowl with water inside dominating the centre of the stage. It’s used throughout the performance especially when Salomé is under the spell of Jokanaan’s (Shir Sayag) songs, he is the imprisoned prophet who appears in a box at the back of the stage when he speaks out about his prophesies and condemnation of Herodias’s actions.

Director Maxim Didenko focuses predominantly on the incestuous behaviour of Herod. The programme advertised that this is an English-language staging which features Russian and Hebrew subtitles although I don’t recall seeing any.

This version of Salomé might not be one for the audiences of London’s West End. However, only time will tell.

For more information about SALOMÉ please use the link below.

Three Stars.

Photo credit Isaiah Fainberg.

https://trh.co.uk/whatson/salome/