All Campus Theatre's entertaining production of Salome included murder, dancing, and outrageous artistry.

The 18^th century play, written by Oscar Wilde, is about a princess, Salome (Ashley Shelton), who demands the head of Iokanaan (Morgan Gibson) from her rotten stepfather, Herod (Jim Ernisse). As with any story, it is so much more than that. The end product is a mixture of Hamlet, Passions and art for art's sake!

With such an over-the-top script, it would have been easy to make this campy. However, the actors played it sincere, making the show all the more effective in its abstract humor. The entire cast was a standout with extraordinary performances.

Director Joseph Samuel Wright truly offered a spectacle with this production. Highlights consisted of a murder scene that played on magician’s tricks, and an extensive dance scene that perfectly embodied the heightened emotions of the characters and audience.

The climax is something you’re not likely to forget. Not to completely ruin it, let’s just say it involves a severed head and a memorable make out scene. Something for the whole family!

One thing I liked is there is always something happening in every space on stage. With such a large ensemble, the director certainly didn’t waste them. I noticed later in the play that the Page of Herodias (Brady Seymore) was still sulking over the corpse of Young Syrian (Joel Ashton), the aforementioned murder victim.

The set was geometric, playing with levels, a checkerboard pattern, and stripes. The costumes were brightly colored yet simple. Both were successful in offsetting the zaniness of the script, rather than overpowering it.

Salome will be showing at the Wesley Foundation on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. ACT’s next production will be Lobby Hero from April 10 to the 13.