SILENCE! THE MUSICAL OFF-BROADWAY REVIEWS

Show	NY TIMES	HR	EW	TIME OUT	BACKSTAGE

Synopsis: In the Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs, rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling matches wits with the brilliant but insane cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, to catch the serial killer known only as Buffalo Bill. Clarice must face her own demons and race the clock to unlock Lecter's clues before another innocent girl is killed and skinned by Bill. It's a hair-raising thriller that's kept countless millions on the edges of their seats and permeated the pop lexicon with delightfully creepy quotes like "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti" and of course "It places the lotion in the basket." And now, at last, this delicate symphony of suspense has been turned on its ear and retold in the only way it can be - as a musical. A singing chorus of floppy eared lambs narrates the action; Buffalo Bill gleefully dances a hoedown while kidnapping hapless Catherine Martin; and even Dr. Lecter, scary as ever, sings about the life he'd like to lead someday outside the prison walls. Created by Jon and Al Kaplan in 2002, Silence! began as a collection of songs on the internet which immediately attracted a staggering number of fans. The Kaplans' subsequent screenplay Silence! The Musical was adapted by Hunter Bell into a live stage show, which also featured newly composed songs by the brothers. Fueled by a rabid cult following, Silence! shattered every box office record at the 2005 FringeNYC Festival, winning the award for Best Musical. Silence! The Musical met with further success last season in London where it garnered ecstatic reviews at the Above The Stag Theatre. Warning: Contains strong language, partial nudity and material that may not be deemed appropriate for children under the age of 14.

Broadway Reviews

NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW:

"The prospect of being serenaded by Hannibal Lecter is certainly more appealing than sitting down to dinner with him, at least to the noncannibals among us. Now, thanks to the composer-lyricists Jon and Al Kaplan, we can bask in the song stylings of one of the movies’ most famous mass murderers, in “Silence! The Musical,” an exuberantly gross spoof at Theater 80 in the East Village. "

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HOLLYWOOD REPORTER REVIEW:

"In the epidemic of movies turned into Broadway musicals, common elements usually include larger-than-life characters and broad-strokes stories that lend themselves naturally to the form. But the central joke of Silence! The Musical is the glaring unsuitability of The Silence of the Lambs as fodder for musicalization."

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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY REVIEW:

"It was probably only a matter of time before someone concocted a musical version of The Silence of the Lambs. The Off Off Broadway production Silence! The Musical, the brainchild of Jon and Al Kaplan with an often witty book by Hunter Bell (title of show), is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from an unauthorized musical parody of the classic 1991 thriller. Clarice Starling (Jenn Harris, a gifted mimic if not a particularly strong singer) speaks in an exaggerated facsimile of Jodie Foster's accent and looks a little too longingly at her FBI buddy/roomie Ardelia (Deidre Goodwin). Hannibal Lecter (Brent Barrett, with a malevolent baritone and deadpan delivery) is afforded many opportunities to chew the scenery — as well as his costars. And the fattie-obsessed psycho Buffalo Bill (Stephen Bienskie) naturally sings a song called ''Put the F---ing Lotion in the Basket.''"

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TIME OUT NEW YORK REVIEW:

"If this tuneful parody of the 1991 to-catch-a-serial-killer flick were a meal (come on, no other metaphor will do), it would be a bucket of popcorn slathered in melted cheese, sprinkled with Tabasco and washed down—not with a nice chianti—but with a pitcher of fruity sangria. Campy, cheerfully vulgar and mounted on the cheap, Silence! The Musical is ideal summer fare, not particularly nutritious but sweet, tangy and very, very tasty."

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BACKSTAGE REVIEW:

""Silence of the Lambs" might seem like an unlikely subject for a musical comedy, but this riotous "unauthorized" romp through the Oscar-winning film based on Thomas Harris' novel turns horror into humor. By highlighting the most memorable—read gruesome and vulgar—scenes, songwriting brothers Jon and Al Kaplan and book writer Hunter Bell create a delicious parody. It also doesn't hurt to have a cast of some of the most talented comic actors in town. "

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THEATERMANIA REVIEW:

"The kind of dirty-minded schoolboy irreverence associated with the parodies found in Mad magazine permeates Silence! the Musical, now running at Theatre 80 St. Marks. While the show contains its share of lulls and comedic clunkers, it's also frequently jaw-droppingly funny. "

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AM NEW YORK REVIEW:

"“Silence! The Musical,” an unauthorized parody of the hit 1991 film “Silence of the Lambs” that was the sold-out hit of the 2005 Fringe Festival, is surely the only Off-Broadway show in town where audience members can purchase a “Precious Basket” in the lobby that contains a stuffed poodle, lotion and fava beans."

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