Photo Flash: First Look at Sean McDermott as 'Hannibal Lecter' in SILENCE! THE MUSICAL
By: BWW News Desk Jan. 23, 2013
Due to popular demand, Silence! The Musical resumed performances on January 19th at the Elektra Theatre in the heart of Times Square. Following the announcement that SILENCE! would be ending its long run December 30th, ticket sales unexpectedly soared, shattering all previous box office records held by the show. As a result, the producers determined that the smash hit musical would reopen on January 19th, starring Sean McDermott as 'Hannibal Lecter'. Check out photos of the actor onstage below!
After debuting at Theatre 80 on July 9, 2011, SILENCE! was extended numerous times by popular demand and transferred theatres twice, ultimately landing at the new Elektra Theatre which was constructed especially for the show. Winner of the 2012 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical, Silence! The Musicalis the unauthorized parody of The Silence of the Lambs, with book by Hunter Bell, music & lyrics by Jon and Al Kaplan, and direction & choreography by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli. The show was selected by Time Magazine as one of the Top 5 Musicals of 2011.
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 faces her own demons while racing the clock to unlock Lecter's clues before another innocent girl is killed and skinned by Buffalo Bill. The laugh-out-loud raunchy satire, Silence! The Musical, features a singing chorus of floppy eared lambs narrating the action as Buffalo Bill gleefully dances a hoedown while kidnapping hapless Catherine Martin. Even Dr. Lecter, creepy as ever, sings about the life he'd like to lead someday outside the prison walls.
With Sean McDermott (star of Broadway's Miss Saigon, Grease, Falsettos, and Starlight Express) as Hannibal Lecter, the cast of Silence! The Musical also features David Ayers, Pamela Bob, Ashlee Dupré, Stephen Hanna, Natalie Joy Johnson, Howard Kaye, Jeffrey Kuhn, Topher Nuccio, Chuck Ragsdale, Ronica V. Reddick, and Kimberly Stern.
Created by Jon and Al Kaplan in 2002, Silence! The Musical 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! met with further success in London where it garnered ecstatic reviews at the Above The Stag Theatre.
Set design for Silence! The Musical is by three-time Tony winner Scott Pask, with costume design by David Kaley, lighting design by Jeff Croiter, and sound design by Carl Casella. Music Supervisor is Mark Hartman, with musical direction by Brian J. Nash.
Produced by Theater Mogul, Silence! The Musical runs 90 minutes with no intermission. The playing schedule is Fridays at 7 PM and Saturdays at 2 & 7 PM at the Elektra Theatre, 669 Eighth Avenue (at 42nd St.) Tickets are available by calling 212-352-3101 or through www.SilenceTheMusical.com.
Photo Credit: Carol Rosegg
Sean McDermott (above) with Pamela Bob
