Review: SALOMÉ, Theatre Royal Haymarket

A dangerously erotic production, Maxim Didenko’s Salomé dazzles with a decadent set by Galya Solodovnikova, uncanny music by Louis Lebée, and excellent performances by the lead cast. 

Oscar Wilde’s notorious play was published in 1893 but banned from the United Kingdom until 1931. Perhaps not surprising considering its partially shocking exploration of power, sexuality and the dangers of unhinged lust - and all of it wrapped in Wilde’s luscious poetry. 

Here, Didenko presents the onlookers with a marble basin, art nouveau aesthetics, and opulent costumes at court, powerfully contrasted with the sheer poverty of the loincloth worn by Jokanaan (Shir Sayag). We meet a spirited Salomé played by Neta Roth, who immediately captures the audience with her tongue-in-cheek deliverance. Clearly upper-class, and well-educated, this Salomé knows exactly what she wants and utilises the sexual attraction men have towards her as a weapon - first to convince the guards to let her speak to the prophet, and later to ask for his head as she loses herself in her obsession.

Little does she expect, however, to find Jokanaan rejecting her advances completely. The tension between Sayag and Roth bristles on stage: her increasingly desperate attempts at flirting almost seem to win him over, but he ultimately condemns her, leaving her stunned and under his spell. Sayag’s Jokanaan frequently appears looming in the background; the decadent court in the foreground is interrupted as a moveable wall reveals the prophet in his commanding appearance as he sings his prophecies and the court trembles while Salomé falls more and more under the spell of his voice. 

But it is often Doron Tavori as Herod who truly steals the show. Weak and yet undeniably the seat of power, the tetrarch of Judea frequently forgets what he’s asking for, utters his foolish bits of wisdom, and is overcome by his lust for Salomé. Tavori’s stellar performance leans into his character’s pathetic nature, delivering the lines with a charismatic coarse voice that emphasises how little backbone the character has - even as he attempts to persuade Salomé to choose anything but Jokanaan’s head on a platter as the reward for performing her dance of the seven veils for him.

Louis Lebée’s music, Michael Vaisburd’s sound design and Evgenia Nathanova’s musical directing work to create an eerie soundscape that underpins the atmosphere. Pianist Nir Knaan supports the action with his delightful live piano performance.

This is a confident production of Salomé, and deservedly so. Boasting a great production and fantastic performances, Didenko brings Wilde’s scandalous play of desire and death to life.

Salomé continues at Theatre Royal Haymarket until 14 October