Photo Flash: John Roberts Visits SILENCE! THE MUSICAL

SILENCE! The Musical, 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 Christopher Gattelli, opened on July 9, 2011, recently celebrating its 100th performance at The 9th Space Theatre at Performance Space 122, 150 First Avenue (at 9th St.) Just last week, John Roberts attended the show to catch his fellow Joe’s Pub guest star Jenn Harris (who plays Clarice Starling in SILENCE!)

Originally announced as an eight-week limited engagement, the show’s producers extended the run four times to accommodate the overwhelming demand for tickets. The original cast recording of SILENCE! The Musical, produced by Michael Croiter and Rich Affannato, is being released tomorrow (Tuesday) in stores and at Amazon.com through Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records. Finally, musical comedy fans outside of New York will be able to enjoy such song selections as “If I Could Smell Her C---” and “Put the F--king Lotion in the Basket.”

John Roberts provides the voice of Linda in the FOX animated primetime comedy "Bob's Burgers" and he has a recurring role as Jimmy's mom on NBC's “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” He first gained attention as one of the standout performer/writers on YouTube and his first viral video The Christmas Tree.  It was nominated for a broadband Emmy award and was featured on VH1's Best Week Ever and Comedy Central Insider. The follow up Jackie & Debra won The Comedy Smalls award in London, was featured on YouTube, and has a huge following. John has over 14 million hits on Youtube and counting.

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 edge 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.

David Garrison and Jenn Harris head the cast of SILENCE! The Musical, which also features Callan Bergmann, Stephen Bienskie, Harry Bouvy, Ashlee Dupré, Annie Funke, Deidre Goodwin, Howard Kaye, and Topher Nuccio. Music Supervisor is Mark Hartman, with orchestrations by Brian J. Nash.

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.

SILENCE! The Musical is produced Off-Broadway by Theater Mogul. The playing schedule is Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 8 PM; Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM; and Sunday at 5 PM. Running time is 89 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $25 - $79 and are available by calling 212-352-3101 or through www.SilenceTheMusical.com.

Photo credit: Ritchard Druther

Jenn Harris, John Roberts