The parade of celebrities continues at SILENCE! The Musical, Off-Broadway's newest smash hit, at Theatre 80. Just last weekend, both James Earl Jones and Lea DeLaria attended the show (although not together). The SILENCE! cast was particularly excited to have the opportunity to congratulate James Earl Jones in person on his upcoming 2011 honorary Academy Award. He responded by saying that he'd love to make a future guest appearance in SILENCE! as one of the lambs, which he proved by putting on a set of the costume lamb's ears to pose for photos!
Due to overwhelming demand, the Producers of SILENCE! The Musical recently put a new block of tickets on sale through September 24. 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.
SILENCE! The Musical is produced Off-Broadway by
Victoria Lang,
Rich Affannato and
Donna Trinkoff. The playing schedule 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.
Photos: Ritchard Druther
Brent Barrett, Lea DeLaria
Lea DeLaria with the cast of SILENCE! THE MUSICAL
Jeff Hiller, James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones with the cast of SILENCE! THE MUSICAL
Jenn Harris, James Earl Jones, Brent Barrett
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