Edinburgh Fringe 2026
1918: The Final Salomé
Carfax Productions
Genre: Historical, New Writing, Theatre
Venue: Olive Studio at Greenside @ George Street
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Centering on the morality-law battle around Oscar Wilde’s ‘Salomé,’ this play delves into the cultural frenzy (both positive and negative) around Wilde’s work.
Review
1918: The Final Salome is written and performed by students from the University of Oxford. It was the runner-up for the Oxford New Writing Festival’s Best Play award. The play is opened by Oscar Wilde’s son, who introduces himself as the new literary executor of Wilde’s estate, but then reflects back on the life and work of the previous executor, Robert ‘Robbie’ Ross. Though the title and a few scenes are specifically in reference to Maud Allan’s trial which led to the censorship of her production of Wilde’s Salome, the play largely centres around Ross’ lifelong battle against Wilde’s defamation and morality-law indictments.
The acting from Peregrine Neger as Robbie Ross was phenomenal. Neger was able to make his eyes sparkle with tears even as the stage next door was thumping with loud music. That was the misfortune of this production: there was significant noise from other performances in the venue bleeding into the theatre for the entire duration of the play. Though the actors did their best, it was evident that this was very distracting for them, as it was for the audience.
Though this venue mishap was not the fault of the production, most of the actors were too quiet regardless of any excess noise, let alone with it. The actors also frequently spoke over each other or spoke their lines very rapidly, which was likely intended for conversational realism, but it was not executed effectively and made even more lines get lost in the noise.
Perhaps because of the excess noise and the lack of volume from the actors, the jumps between flashbacks and real time became lost, and every scene took a brief adjustment period to realise where and when it was meant to be.
These issues are especially a shame because of how high quality the story is. The characters represent three camps in their opinions of Wilde’s life and work: those who feverishly worship Wilde and his work like a god; those who fervently condemn Wilde as an amoral and corrupting devil; and those who see him as just a man, for better and for worse. As such, the play both defends Wilde against the unfounded criticism and persecution he faced in his life, yet cautions against the danger of idolising a man too much.
The set was thoughtfully designed with period furniture and a long sash of the very letters that condemned Wilde in his life, which were used both literally and symbolically throughout the play. The play’s artistic vision and imagery were strong and consistent throughout, and the themes were clear, even through the noise, without spoon-feeding it to the audience.
1918: The Final Salome is a fascinating look at the people in and around Oscar Wilde’s life. It has facets that would appeal to those who enjoy literature, history, or theatre. Though its venue does not do its Fringe run justice, it is clear to see why this new writing was nominated for an award.
