Walking into Salomé at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, you have a sense of foreboding. If anything, the whole experience of getting into the theatre felt more like airport security than theatre. Bags were being searched, full pat downs and even water bottles were being confiscated from the audience. The bar was shut so no buying a drink to calm those nerves before the show. Security staff made us aware the play was “highly contentious” and that they were on alert for protesters. It was off putting to say the least and created a slightly tense, edgy atmosphere that carried through into the show itself.
Salomé, written by Oscar Wilde is not a regular on the London stage and after seeing this rendition you can see why. Brutal, disturbing and unabashedly dark, Salomé is not for the faint of heart. Written in 1891, the play tells the story of Salomé’s lustful obsession with Jokanaan (John the Baptist), whom she ultimately ends up kissing his severed head, after he has been beheaded when he turns down her affections.
Maxim Didenko’s new production doesn’t hold back – no softening the violence, sex and madness of Wilde’s play text. The set is bold but simple. A giant silver light fitting hangs from above while a huge stone basin sits at the centre of the stage which later overflows with blood. Cocktail bar at the side references the excess of Herod’s court. Coloured, rich costuming of the characters also amps up the sense of indulgence, especially in contrast to Jokanaan who is stripped back and alone in his white prison cell upstage from the main action. This visual contrast of luxury and purity is the crux of much of the drama.
Nets Roth as Salomé is fearless. She comes across as a spoilt brat at the beginning but this innocence shifts as the play progresses to something far more sinister. Salomé’s obsession with Jokanaan becomes more desperate with every rejection, until she completely loses the plot. She is animalistic, feral and dangerous. Her “Dance of the Seven Veils” is not seductive, but jarring, more of a ritual than a dance and is a huge set up for the grisly climax.
Shir Sayag is imposing as Jokanaan. When he first appears, his voice is booming, full of fire and chastising of the corruption around him. Scenes between Sayag and Roth are full of tension – her persistence, his rebuttal. Doron Tavori as Herod is both repugnant and oddly comic. He plays him as a weak man in a position of power and consumed with his own desires, at times is almost ridiculous, but when Salomé makes her final request his fear is palpable. Lena Fraifeld is excellent as Herodias, a touch sharp and authoritarian, trying to keep control while her family disintegrates around her.
The show clocks in at 1 hour 40 minutes with no interval. It doesn’t let you catch your breath. Shadows play across the stage, the music builds the tension and the final scene of Salomé kissing the bloodied, severed head of Jokanaan is as harrowing as it gets. It’s a far cry from the wit and sparkle of Wilde’s comedies. It’s hard to believe The Importance of Being Earnest is charming audiences a few doors down in The West End, while Salomé is splashing the stage in blood. Both plays circle similar themes of desire, power and folly. One shrouds it with wit; the other tears it all off.
I left the theatre slightly shaken. It’s a heavy show, and one you do not forget easily. The whole security aspect of the event added an extra layer – it did make the whole evening feel like a special occasion – dangerous even illicit. If you are after a light night out, steer clear of Salomé. But if you are looking for theatre to shock, to unsettle and to really get under your skin, then Salomé delivers – raw, bloody and unforgettable