Photo Flash: CHICAGO Cast & Randy Harrison Visit SILENCE!

This past Saturday, July 23, Randy Harrison (Queer as Folk) and the entire cast and crew of Broadway's Chicago attended SILENCE! The Musical, Off-Broadway's newest smash hit, at Theatre 80. The 10:30 PM performance was particularly electric as Charlotte d'Amboise and the other Chicago cast members broke out into cheers and applause every time SILENCE's leading lady (Jenn Harris) executed her Fosse moves, as devised by director/choreographer Christopher Gattelli. Harrison and the Chicago company happily posed for onstage photos afterwards with Brent Barrett, Jenn Harris and the entire SILENCE! cast.

Due to overwhelming demand, the producers of SILENCE! The Musical recently put a new block of tickets on sale through August 27 and they have added Thursdays at 8 PM to the weekly playing schedule. SILENCE! The Musical is the unauthorized parody of The Silence of the Lambs, with book by Hunter Bell, and music & lyrics by Jon and Al Kaplan. The production opened to rave reviews on July 9 at Theatre 80, located at 80 St. Marks Place (between First & Second Ave.) Also featured in the cast of SILENCE! The Musical are Callan Bergmann, Stephen Bienskie, Harry Bouvy, Ashlee Dupré, Deidre Goodwin, Jeff Hiller, Howard Kaye, and Lucia Spina. Music Supervisor is Mark Hartman, with orchestrations by Brian J. Nash.

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 in London where it garnered ecstatic reviews at the Above The Stag Theatre.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of The Silence of the Lambs.

The playing schedule for SILENCE! The Musical is Thursdays and Fridays at 8 PM, and Saturdays at 8 & 10:30 PM. Tickets range from $25 to $65 and are available by calling 212-352-3101 or through www.SilenceTheMusical.com.

Photo Credit: Ritchard Druther

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