"Salome" presented by NT Live at the Magnolia Theater

SALOME

Dear Friend and The Travelling Toe attended a NT Live production shown at the Magnolia Theater in the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.  Amphibian Stage Productions is a partner with the Modern for the NT Live broadcasts.  This production is a interesting and modern take of the story of "Salome" as to who she was and why she did what she did.

Before the play began, a short documentary was shown. Playwright Yael Farber and actress Isabella Nefar discussed the story of Salmon and this updated and revised version of her life story.  As Ms. Farber stated, men have painted her, told her story but in this play she is allowed to tell her own story.  Search the internet and one will discover that there are about 100 various paintings that feature Salome.  One of the more famous paintings:

Caravaggio 1607
Salome with the head of John the Baptist
National Gallery - London

This play featured 2 Salome's - one who is young and does not speak and an older one who tells her story.  

NT Live provided the following synopsis of the play:

From her prison beneath the walls of her city, Nameless recounts what led her to call for the beheading of Iokanaan (John the Baptist) in her youth.  Her story shows how Rome's suppression of the people and religion of Judea acted as a catalyst in her transformation from the subjugated young girl to the woman who came to be known as Salome.

The play was artfully staged and very inventive. But it would be difficult for most theaters to replicate the stage design of this play.  In the background 2 women sung in Arabic melismata style that helped set the darkness of the story while highlighting the angst.  Most of the actors spoke in English but John the Baptist spoke in Hebrew with English subtitles. The acting, staging, and musical accompaniment was very well done.  

Needless to say this is not the Biblical story most are familiar with nor did it resemble the 1953 Hollywood version of Salome's story.

The Travelling Toe must confess that it was a interesting take on the story as Salome might have more to say then we know.  But Dear Readers if you want to know if we liked the play then it is mixed results on the reviews from the both of us.

Amphibian Stage Productions


Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth