Salome at Imago Theatre

SALOME

By Oscar Wilde

Adapted by Drew Pisarra

Live at Imago Theatre APRIL 11 to 27, Fri/Sat 7:30, Sun at 2:00 Recommended for Ages 16 and Older

Tickets $30 TICKETS: onthestage.tickets/imago-theatre Imago Theatre imagotheatre.com 17 SE 8th Portland, OR 97214 Tel: 503.231.9581

Streetcar Leads return!

A despotic king lusts for his step-daughter. An impetuous princess lusts for a prophet. A loyal soldier lusts for his comrade-in-arms. Oscar Wilde definitely turned up the heat when he penned his early-career masterpiece, the verse drama Salome. And in truth, this script proved so rich in passion that Wilde chose to write it in French (though the English censors eventually stepped in). For Imago's exciting new production, Imago Co-Founder Jerry Mouawad will revive the once-controversial tragedy and, in the process, reveal one of the world's wittiest playwrights to be one of its most compelling poets of the stage as well. Imago Co-Founder Jerry Mouawad isn't the first to revisit Oscar Wilde's early tragedy, Salome. World-class directors Yukio Mishima and Max Reinhardt once mounted unforgettable productions while composer Richard Strauss took Wilde's text for arguably his most famous libretto. Even indie filmmaker Ken Russell repopularized the play with his camp classic, Salome's Last Dance. Now Imago long-time collaborator Drew Pisarra has adapted the original into a chamber theatre piece (fewer characters with the intent of more intensity). Today, Salome's tawdry tale – and John the Baptist's decapitation – continue to exercise a magnetic appeal. Just ask Al Pacino who's revived it twice on Broadway, or one of the many musicians seduced by the material such as Andrew Lloyd Webber, Liz Phair, Regina Spektor, and John Cale. Though censored in the U.K. at the time of its creation, this is one verse drama that refuses to be silenced — even 130 years later.

"... a byword for controversy." — The Guardian "... the most daring and experimental of Oscar Wilde's plays." — The Telegraph

Rated for 16 and older: mature material, language and references to acts of violence.