A despotic king lusts for his step-daughter. An impetuous princess lusts for a prophet. A loyal soldier lusts for his comrade-in-arms. Oscar Wilde definitely turned up the heat when he penned his early-career masterpiece, the verse drama Salome. And in truth, this script proved so rich in passion that Wilde chose to write it in French (though the English censors eventually stepped in). For Imago's exciting new production, Imago Co-Founder Jerry Mouawad will revive the once-controversial tragedy and, in the process, reveal one of the world's wittiest playwrights to be one of its most compelling poets of the stage, as well.

Mouawad isn't the first artist drawn to Wilde's image-rich play, either. Directors as varied as Yukio Mishima and Max Reinhardt have staged noteworthy versions, while composer Richard Strauss utilized Wilde's text for his famed opera's libretto. Even film auteur Ken Russell lifted repeatedly from Wilde's text when creating his irresistibly campy flick Salome's Last Dance starring Glenda Jackson. Indeed, Salome's tawdry tale – and John the Baptist's decapitation – have had a timeless, universal appeal over the centuries. Old masters like da Vinci, Caravaggio, and Titian were once seduced by these subjects as were musicians like Andrew Lloyd Webber, Liz Phair, Regina Spektor, and John Cale. With Imago's upcoming Salome, Portland audiences will finally get to see what makes Wilde's poetic play so wildly enjoyable.

"... a byword for controversy." — The Guardian

"... the most daring and experimental of Oscar Wilde's plays." — The Telegraph

Rated for 16 and older, mature material, language and references for acts of violence.