Oscar Wilde’s Salomé Comes to Life at Teatru Manoel This November
Oscar Wilde’s Salomé arrives at Teatru Manoel, Valletta this November in a production that puts identity, desire and power at the centre of the tragedy. Directed by Adrian Buckle, the play runs for six performances between 6 and 15 November, with an international cast bringing a fresh perspective to Wilde’s provocative work.
British actor Timothy Blore takes on the title role. His credits span theatre, television and film, including performances in London’s West End and appearances in The King’s Man and Disney+ series Rivals. Casting a male performer as Salomé brings another dimension to a character whose desires and actions unsettle the court around her.
Blore is joined by British-Palestinian actor Tarik Badwan as Iokanaan, the imprisoned prophet whose rejection of Salomé sets the tragedy in motion. Badwan’s work across theatre and film includes projects with the Royal Opera House and Netflix.
Maltese actor Mikhail Basmadjian plays Herod, drawing on more than 35 years of experience on stage and screen. His theatre credits include A View from the Bridge, Medea, Chicago and The Chairs. Magda van Kuilenburg appears as Herodias, while Joel Parnis plays the Page of Herodias, bringing a musical theatre background that includes Les Misérables, My Fair Lady, Titanic and Anastasia.
The wider cast features Victor De Bono as the Cappadocian, Miguel Muscat as the Young Syrian, Barry Kolman as the Jew, Francesco Borg as the Nazarene and Karl Schembri as Naaman.
Movement is an important part of Buckle’s interpretation, with Tunisian-born choreographer Chakib Zidi working alongside dancers Sarah Vella, Mona Fazaa, Angela Bettoni and Rebecca Grech. Their physical performances add another layer to the tensions playing out within Herod’s court.
This version of Salomé also takes a particular approach to the protagonist’s identity. Buckle conceives the character as a prince who identifies and presents as a woman, using the way she is perceived by those around her to navigate and manipulate the court’s power structures. It offers a contemporary angle on a play that has long challenged audiences with its treatment of desire, obsession and control.
The production’s visual and sonic world is shaped by set designer Romualdo Moretti, costume designer Aleksandra Idowiak, lighting designer Chris Gatt, and composer and sound designer Albert Garzia. Together, the creative team brings Wilde’s poetic language into dialogue with movement, atmospheric sound and striking stage imagery.
First written in 1891, Salomé remains one of Wilde’s most provocative works, tracing the destructive consequences of desire and the pursuit of power. The play is also part of a wider programme at Teatru Manoel, which will present Richard Strauss’s opera Salome in concert on 12 November, conducted by Barry Kolman, who also appears in the theatrical production.
The production is suitable for audiences aged 16 and over and contains nudity.
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