Salomé

This play radically reinterprets the biblical story of Salomé which has normally been treated as a tale of a woman’s perverse sexuality and vindictive nature. Farber’s vision of Salomé (Isabella Nefar) is more flattering and carves out a space for her as an important political figure. 

This is achieved with strident and sometimes angry determinism. The text is often obtuse and deliberately grandiose. The characters of both Herod and Pilot are cast as lewd and Salomé’s youthful vulnerability shows she is easy prey for sexual exploitation. She is unequivocally positioned as a victim. Farber’s feminist perspective is humourless and this can make the play a difficult theatrical experience, despite its aesthetic approach.

The extremely sensual nature of the production reverberates throughout the entire cast and is firmly embedded in the luscious set design. Ramzi Choukair as Iokanaan (John the Baptist) is sensational and his fervent political activism acts as a forceful catalyst for the actions of the young Salomé. 

Her story is narrated by Nameless (Olwen Fouere), an older Salomé whose presence is commanding and alluring; she leaves no doubt that this is a scandalous example of female sexual oppression that is deliberately rebounded against the perpetrators of the abuse. This is a production whose power and intensity can seem disinterested in mere entertainment and this will inevitably disturb the viewer, welcome or not.

Patricia Di Risio

Photographer: Johan Persson