OSCAR Wilde’s Salomé gets a modern makeover at the RSC in Stratford.
Marking 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, Owen Horsley directs a contemporary take on Wilde’s classic, placing sexual ambiguity at the core.
Imprisoned by a fearful Herod, the prophet Jokanaan rejects the sexual advances of Herod’s stepdaughter, Salomé. When she is compelled by Herod to dance, Salomé is filled with lust-driven revenge and demands the head of the prophet as payment.
Salomé has fascinated and inspired artists across the ages. Wilde’s lyrical one-act drama – originally banned in Britain – reinvents Salomé as a powerful and enigmatic figure, both erotic and chaste.
The production, in the Swan Theatre, runs until September 6.
Visit www.rsc.org.uk for tickets and further details.
