This is an abridged, fast paced version of Oscar Wilde’s dramatic, poetic retelling of the famous Biblical story. There are some very interesting parts and overall it is quite effective for what it is trying to do though slightly disappointing.

Some of the characters (eg Nabaroth ,the page and assorted religious leaders ) are conflated. We only catch a faint echo of the passionate lyricism of Salome’s extraordinary poetic outpouring of desire for John the Baptist ( here simply called ‘John’ , not ‘Jokannan’ as in most productions and the opera based on the play) . it is an intimate, very sparse and minimalist version, with only a few tables, chairs and a few hand-props.

The story powers along under the direction of Andrew O’Connell and is told in a very fast paced , at times overly rushed. .( Sometimes I think the performers need to observe Hamlet’s directions to the Players.) The delivery was at times uneven but overall generally quite effective. There was a most effective intense, uneasy atmosphere especially with Herod slipping in blood, hearing the beating of wings of the angel of death etc.

Princess Salome ( Frances Attard ) here is shown as kittenish , narcissistic and headlong in her determination for John the Baptist’s death .She is presented as a powerful and exotic dreadlocked Eastern princess in a pink dress with gold underlay. In some ways she is like a spoilt child .Her ‘dance of the seven veils’ to middle Eastern rhythms and cymbals etc ( not Strauss) was quite short but slow, languid and enticing as various pink layers are wafted and removed .She scorns and ignores the chance of redemption that John offers .

Herod was terrifically played by Andrew O’Connell in a spotted khaftan. Tall, young , handsome ,bearded and regal with exotic eye makeup he was every inch the slightly mad ( ? ) besotted , tyrannical Tetrarch.
Herodias, his wife and Salome’s mother, in a beautiful red dress with silver belt, was excellently played by Vivian Tselios. However because of the abridgement there was not really that much for her to do and not that much chance for character development.

As John the Baptist Jareth Norman is brilliant .He is portrayed as a young, tousle-haired otherworldly visionary .He is quite magnetic with a fabulous voice. His death and the final climactic scene are unusually done with some vivid stage effects .
Mention must also be made of the excellent perforrmances by the two ‘narrators’ ( Morgan Duncan and Gerard Holland ).

This production is a most unusual version and has some exciting performances but is one that just fails to ignite. As one of my colleagues has said, I am not quite sure what it is ,but there seems to be no real strong cohesive vision for this particular production .
Salome runs at the Tap Gallery January 28 –Feb 3 2013
Running time 45 mins (approx) no interval

TAGS
Frances Attard
Jareth Norman Andrew O’Connell
Vivian Tselios
Morgan Duncan
Gerard Holland