Veiled Messages in Salome

The dance of the seven veils that comes near the end of the story of Salome is a familiar scene to all who have seen Oscar Wilde's play or the opera by Richard Strauss, but this tale is about so much more than the seductive dance itself. When Salome opens this Friday as part of the Naked July Festival at National Pastime Theater, audience members will be treated to a powerful interpretation of the Oscar Wilde play that will challenge them to consider the nature and the motives of the title character in many new ways.

This new production directed by Laurence Bryan and produced by Keely Haddad-Null is staged on a simple and functional set and provides an intensely honest and straightforward interpretation of Wilde’s famous story. One interesting and effective element in Bryan’s staging is the introduction of three chorus characters who help to reveal some of the thoughts and motivations of the three main characters—Herod, Herodias, and Salome. NPT ensemble members Arch Harmon and Don Claudin perform the chorus roles for Herodias and Herod respectively, and they are joined by a new face at NPT this summer—Kaitlen Osburn who serves as the Salome chorus character.


Becca Wolfe turns in a powerful and courageous performance as Salome, and as she agrees to assuage Herod’s lust by dancing for his entertainment, we are challenged to decide for ourselves whether she is a naïve young woman who is a helpless victim powerless to disobey Herod’s command or instead a calculating and cold-hearted woman whose bold actions are motivated by her own ambitions. Wolfe moves gracefully around the stage stripping away the colorful veils during her iconic dance near the end of the performance, and finally stands nude and defiant before Herod as she demonstrates that she is the one in charge, ready to claim her shocking reward.

Salome opens at 8:00 pm on Friday, July 1, and the performance will be followed by the opening of the amazing new show by Pete Guither and his creative team titled Living Canvas: Rain. These two shows will be staged on Friday and Saturday nights all through July, and the rousing performers known collectively as the Beast Women will grace the NPT stage on Thursdays and Sundays. Individual tickets and full festival passes can be purchased online at the secure NPT ticket site. Don’t miss the fun this summer—be sure to see all of these great shows.