NEWCOMER CHASTAIN UNVEILS SMOLDERING TALENT IN `SALOME'.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic

The soldiers are uneasy, the Jews are restless. The king is losing his marbles, and the princess stands dangerously between boredom and sexual awakening. Imprisoned in a cistern is a man of God who speaks of another man of God, and offers unsettling prophecies that are fast coming true.

Yes, it's pretty apparent why Al Pacino and Estelle Parsons can't get their fill of Oscar Wilde's ``Salome.'' Given everything Wilde packs into this little 90-minute care package of decadence, who in his right mind - audience or performer - could tear himself away?

On stage at the Wadsworth Theatre is the same conceptualized stage reading of ``Salome'' that director Parsons and star Pacino have been tinkering with and workshopping since 2002. (Pacino's own work with King Herod dates back even further.)

Opulent, this production is not. There is little scenery. The costumes are modern. The actors employ scripts on stands when they need them. Composer Yukio Tsuji supplies some understated musical punctuation (notably percussion).

And the experience is nothing short of riveting. Even bare bones. Even with headliner Pacino spending the first 20 minutes offstage.

Parsons and her cast quickly establish an atmosphere of fear and unease. Things are changing, and the kingdom doesn't know why. Soldiers are justifiably nervous about casting their gaze in the wrong direction, or for an improper amount of time. Blood can spill quickly.

Into this scene emerges the princess Salome, who is weary of the revelry inside the palace. Hearing the half-incoherent ramblings of the imprisoned prophet Jokanaan, Salome says - fatefully - ``I would speak with him.'' And this, we learn, is a girl unaccustomed to taking no for an answer.

Now, this production of ``Salome'' was originally scheduled to tour the Southland with its New York cast - including David Strathairn, Dianne Wiest and Marisa Tomei (as the veil- dropping princess) - intact. Had that version arrived - and with all due respect to Tomei - local audiences would have missed out on seeing a very exciting actress named Jessica Chastain. Not only does this performer hold her own opposite some very formidable company, she delivers one of the hottest and most frightening performances of the year.

Chastain is no kitten, but the character knows her effect on men. And with a Salome this young and this much in heat, being cursed by Kevin Anderson's Jokanaan is an aphrodisiac. Chastain's Salome, indifferent to everybody else's lust, wants this man so badly that she can barely keep from tearing that midriff-baring salmon-colored dress off her body.

I would attempt to describe the dance of the seven veils, but some aspects of performance are better experienced live. Suffice it to say that Howard Thies' lights go to smoking red, and Chastain's gyrating and shimmying is a sensual purge, very much in character. The lady earns her prize.

The more Salome cajoles (and the more desperate she seems), the clearer it becomes that this is a woman unhinged. In this, she's hardly alone. Jokanaan and Herod are also, in their respective ways, on the brink of madness.

The king especially. His charcoal suit billows, his face is haggard, and his hair is a tangled mess. Kicking that famous voice into a mincing upper register, Pacino plays Herod as a weak man, not a tyrant. Some prophet is out there resurrecting the death and transforming water into wine, and Pacino's Herod is trying to get out of his own troubled head more than into Salome's bloomers. When negotiations with Salome must take place, and Herod's language gets particularly florid, Chastain matches Pacino step for step.

Politics, prophecy, love, lust and power all end up converging in a finale that is shocking even though you know it's coming. The final image - Salome delivering a cracked eulogy - is unforgettable.

So is the production. With Pacino filming a documentary, this ``Salome'' may well prove to be one of the actor's signature roles. But here's betting Angelenos fortunate enough to see it will remember it just as vividly as the first major splash of Jessica Chastain.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

SALOME - Four stars

Where: Wadsworth Theatre, Building 23, 11301 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; through May 14.

Tickets: $68 to $93. [phone].

In a nutshell: Lusty and amazing. A Wilde ride with Pacino and newcomer Jessica Chastain.

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Photo:

Al Pacino is a tormented King Herod in ``Salome,'' at the Wadsworth Theatre.