State Opera of South Australia. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 24 Aug 2013.
‘Salome’ is synonymous with the Dance of the Seven Veils and the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Richard Strauss’s opera includes these two iconic images and is based on Oscar Wilde’s play which in turn is based on a few verses from two of the Gospels. The detail of the play and the opera far exceeds the ‘evidence’ in the Bible but, hey, its opera!
Directed by Gale Edwards, ‘Salome’ is an Opera Conference production designed by Brian Thompson with costumes by Julie Lynch. Between them they have created a production that has maximum visual impact: it is bold, brash and dripping with gore, in keeping with the ruthlessness, savagery and baseness of the central characters. Herod Antipas’s banqueting hall is on a raised platform and it resembles a slaughterhouse, replete with hanging animal carcases. This is a reference to his viciousness and the cheapness with which he holds human life. But, it borders on gratuitousness and doesn’t really add value to the look and feel of the production, especially when juxtaposed with the eclectic grab-bag of costumes worn by the cast that make them look like a mix of vaudevillians and starship troopers. Presumably there was a point to the costume design, but it was obscure. That aside, John Rayment’s lighting was superb, and regardless of what may have been the point behind the scenic and costume design, it was all bathed in an eerie, ominous and almost incandescent light. I repeat, maximum visual impact.
The real key to ‘Salome’ however does not lie in the setting, costumes or lighting - these help of course - but the real inspiration should be taken from the exquisite musical score. The music was magnificently played by the full might of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, under the polished baton of Maestro Arvo Volmer, and believably portrayed the underlying abnormal and maladaptive psychology of the characters. In his wonderful book ‘Grand Opera: Mirror of the Western Mind’, opera historian and psychiatrist Eric Plaut writes: “Salome is a textbook of psychopathology. Narraboth suffers from an atypical impulse control disorder. Herod has phobias in addition to his voyeurism. Herodias is an anti-social personality. Salome starts out as a narcissistic personality, moves to a fetishistic obsession with Jokanaan’s body, and ends up a psychotic necrophiliac. Everyone is suffused with perverse sexuality; even Jokanaan is obsessed with it.”
What a challenge for the director and cast!
Hubert Francis was superb as Herod (despite his inappropriate costume!). He was completely at home on the expansive tiered stage and ranged freely and widely without compromising his vocals; clear diction, magnificent projection, and he looked deranged. He was positively lascivious during the Dance of the Seven Veils, which was dealt with in a quite interesting way. Rather than Salome herself performing what is essentially meant to be a striptease, Edwards presented it as seven separate dances presented as personifications of the different ways women can arouse the sexual curiosity of men. The dance presentation included a short skirted school girl, Marilyn Monroe, a pole dancer and, bordering on tastelessness, the Madonna doing a strip tease. In theory, the concept was an interesting way of avoiding an opera singer having to perform an erotic dance which might not be their forte or to their taste, but in execution it was less effective and clunky.
Anne Marie Gibbons sang the Page with sufficient self-effacement, and Bradley Daley sang Narraboth very well indeed, but he was less convincing as a completely besotted and obsessed admirer of Salome who desperately wished for more. The direction of his suicide scene missed the mark; it came across quite melodramatically.
Douglas McNicol was imposing as Jokanaan. His rich baritone voice sailed over the music and filled the entire theatre. He was perhaps directed to pay too much attention to Salome’s charms at times.
Elizabeth Campbell was an imperious Herodias who, pleasingly, was able to convey that she was as much behind Jokanaan’s demise as was Salome herself.
The ensembles of Jews and soldiers – Tasso Bouyessis, Robert England, Ernst Ens, Adam Goodburn, Bernard Hull, Robert Macfarlane, Thomas Millhouse, Jeremy Tatchell, Nicholas Todorovic and Andrew Turner – provided solid vocal support for the principals, but I wonder at the artistic license taken with the anachronistic intrusion of Catholic and Greek orthodox priests, to say nothing of a Hindu!
And then there was Salome herself. Kate Ladner was excellent, particularly with her extended aria at the end where she caresses and kisses Jokanaan’s severed head (which, by the way, looked very real – bravo special effects department!). The role of Salome is an enormous challenge for any soprano – it especially tests the lower register - and there were only a few moments where audibility was less than optimal.
Ladner did it well. The State Opera did it well. This production is worth seeing.
Kym Clayton
When: 24 to 31 Aug
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
