SUNSET SALOME

at H.E.R.E. in Soho, April 1996

written and directed by Peter Wing Healey

music by Max Kinberg

Norma Desmond, now in a hospital for the criminally insane, is asked to run a theater program.  Of course, she wants to direct “Salome”.  However, in her version things get a little turned around.  Salome is a wonderful healer studying in the mountains with the Guru “Virgin Mary”.  She and Mary come down to town one day and Salome is attacked and raped by John the Baptist.  Herodias reveals that she’s not all she’s been cracked up to be and the right wing religeous leader Zadok is working with evil old Aunt Salome, Herod’s mother, to make sure that Salome, who is actually just a beautiful dancer, goes down in history as a whore.

Michael McQuary as Norma Desmond (costume Willa Kim)  and

Janet Norquist, below, as Virgin Mary

Peter Wing Healey (Herodias) Janet Norquist (Virgin Mary)  Rochelle Mancini (Zadok) Elaine Valby (Aunt Salome) Michael McQuary (Toyotakawa) Jordana Tobak (dancer) Hope Arthur (Various)

SUNSET SALOME was done twice.  The first performance of Act One only was at The Vineyard’s Dimson Theater on 15th Street of Union Square in New York City.  There were three performances and an extra performance was added on the Monday due to popular demand.  The costumes were by Mary Brecht and the painted panels by Sarah Brecht.

The next version of the complete opera was at H.E.R.E. in Soho in 1996.  This was a month-long run of weekends.  This time Willa Kim did the costumes.  The theater was cramped and difficult but we did rather well at the box office and had many wonderful shows.

Photos by:  Tom Brazil

Michael McQuary as Toyotakawa  Wren Arthur as Zilpah

Wren Arthur as Zilpah and Richard Vayda as Asphenez

Peter Wing Healey as Herodias, Ethan Flower as David, the Shepherd, Richard Vayda as Asphenez, Michael McQuary as Martha Graham and Jordana Toback as the Modern Dancer