Director: Christopher Gattelli
The Silence of the Lambs is a dark psychological thriller that follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she seeks the help of imprisoned cannibalistic murderer Dr. Hannibal Lecter to catch serial killer Buffalo Bill. It is a narrative which examines the complexities of the human psyche, the nature of evil, and the blurred lines between hunter and prey, ultimately highlighting themes of manipulation, power, and the search for identity within a chilling cat-and-mouse game. Silence! The Musical is… not. Yet somehow that is meant in the best, most complimentary way. This show absolutely should not work, but in undeniably does.
Because it’s based on such a well known novel and movie, Silence! doesn’t waste much of its 1 hour run time on the plot, instead opting to string together the most famous scenes and fill them with jokes and unlikely musical numbers. Unlikely may be too mellow of a term for some of the songs, with Lecter’s ‘If I Could Smell Her C*nt’ having absolutely no business being the melodramatic wonder that it is, and the jazz break section over the body of a murdered woman becoming a ridiculous highlight.
The ten strong cast do a good job with the material, with those in smaller rolls really taking their opportunities to shine wherever they find them. No one exemplifies that more than Jenay Naima as Arelia when she takes centre stage in ‘Catherine Dies Today’, when her character gets her much deserved moment. Jake Anthony as Buffalo Bill manages to be funny while also being at times genuinely a little unsettling, it’s almost a shame we don’t see more of his character (although, of course, we also see too much). Catherine Millsom’s Catherine is also hilarious when singing from the well and her duet with Anthony’s Bill is easily a show highlight.
The show is a broad comedy focused on sketches and one liners which works for the most part, but the script feels like a work in progress as though some of it is being tested out for the first time. While Mark Oxtoby does a solid job as Lecter the script lets him down somewhat; searching for jokes in the movie to make a parody of a character who is already a flamboyant caricature leaves some of the exaggerations feeling lesser than that of the real thing.
Silence! The Musical feels like a show with a lot of potential and a script that just isn’t quite reaching it. It is, however, a show that hits all the wrong notes in all the right ways. It’s a ridiculously fun show and worth a watch for anyone who’s ever seen the movie.
Runs Until: 27 July 2024
The Reviews Hub Score
hits all the wrong notes in all the right ways
