Oscar Wilde’s dark, decadent vision of power and obsession returns in a hypnotic, high-stakes retelling of the biblical tale you thought you knew. The world renowned Gesher Theatre present a daring new production of Wilde’s controversial masterpiece.
Maxim Didenko, one of Europe’s leading directors will bring a new production of Oscar Wilde’s Salome to the West End this autumn, a co-production with Theatre Royal Haymarket and Gesher Theatre.
Salomé, stepdaughter of the lecherous ruler Herod Antipas, develops an infatuation with the mysterious prophet John the Baptist. When her advances are spurned, Salomé unleashes a deadly dance that will echo through the ages. Bold, provocative, and drenched in poetic decadence, Salomé is a haunting exploration of power, eroticism and the price of forbidden longing.
Written by Wilde in 1891, this lyrical one-act play, banned in Britain at the time, tells the biblical tale of Salomé, the stepdaughter of the lecherous ruler Herod Antipas, and her infatuation with John the Baptist. When her advances towards the prophet are spurned, Salomé unleashes a deadly dance that will echo through the ages.
We sat down with director Maxim Didenko to learn more about the production.
What can you tell me about this production of Salomé?
It’s a bold, dream-like retelling of Wilde’s play that explores desire, power, and rebellion. We wanted to create a world that feels at once ritualistic, dangerous, and strangely beautiful—where every image pulls the audience into a fevered vision.
When did you first discover Oscar Wilde’s work?
As a teenager in Russia, I was fascinated by Wilde’s wit and his tragic biography. Salomé in particular stayed with me because it felt different from his comedies—mystical, dark, and dangerous.
It’s a bold, dream-like retelling of Wilde’s play that explores desire, power, and rebellion. We wanted to create a world that feels at once ritualistic, dangerous, and strangely beautiful—where every image pulls the audience into a fevered vision.
When did you first discover Oscar Wilde’s work?
As a teenager in Russia, I was fascinated by Wilde’s wit and his tragic biography. Salomé in particular stayed with me because it felt different from his comedies—mystical, dark, and dangerous.
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| Photo by Isaiah Fainberg. |
How did you first approach putting your stamp on the piece?
I never try to “illustrate” a classic, I try to find its pulse today. For me, the question was: who is Salomé now? Is she victim or rebel, innocent or monster? My staging invites the audience to keep shifting between those possibilities.
What was the biggest creative challenge you faced?
The biggest challenge was to balance the play’s poetic beauty with its brutality. Wilde’s language is intoxicating, but the story is about violence, lust, and death. Finding a theatrical form that could hold both extremes was the most difficult—and the most rewarding—task.
How would you describe your own creative style and the style that you’ve approached putting on the show?
I love to create visually bold, highly physical, almost cinematic theatre. My style is about rhythm, movement, and atmosphere. For Salomé, I’ve leaned into that sense of ritual and transformation—every scene feels like a vision or a nightmare.
What was the first piece of theatre that you remember having a big impact on you?
As a child, I was part of New Year’s plays in Russia. I remember walking on stage as a very small boy to greet the audience—it was magical, like stepping into another world. That feeling of theatre as a transformation has stayed with me ever since.
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| Photo by Isaiah Fainberg |
What gives you inspiration?
Life itself, especially in its contradictions. History, politics, painting, dance, even my own biography. And of course, the artists I work with—collaboration is always a source of energy.
Can you tell me an interesting fact about the production?
On the very first rehearsal we didn’t read the play—we improvised the entire story from beginning to end as a full run-through. Many of those raw, wild ideas stayed in the final staging. The Israeli actors were fearless, instinctive, and full of passion, and that energy gave the production its unique pulse.
How would you describe the show in 3 words?
Seductive. Violent. Hypnotic.
What do you hope someone takes away from seeing Salomé?
I hope they leave disturbed but also exhilarated—questioning how power and desire work in our world. And perhaps seeing Salomé not as a single image, but as a mirror of our own contradictions.
Salomé runs at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket from Monday 29th September until Sunday 11th October 2025. Tickets are available from https://trh.co.uk/whatson/salome/
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