BWW Reviews: Take a Bite Out of SILENCE! at Studio Theatre's 2nd Stage

I often wonder if the place I live is too sensitive for bawdy theatre with crass material. You see, in Washington DC, there are some things that don't fly with our audiences. I've seen shows in New York that were hilarious and brilliant, but when I see a similar production of the same title in DC, the jokes don't land the same. I spend time feeling uncomfortable and looking to fellow theatregoers to be the first to laugh at something inappropriate.

I'm happy to say that DC has an appetite for Silence! The Musical. With song titles such as "If I Could Smell Her Cunt", and "Put the f-ing Lotion in the Basket," I was really anxious to see the reaction.

Studio Theatre's 2nd Stage has been transformed into a cabaret theatre, complete with proscenium running lights and a runway that would make any Mama Rose proud. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, the familiar story of Jonathan Demme's Oscar Winning 1991 film, "Silence of the Lambs," comes to life.

In a deftly directed parody, with music and lyrics by Jon and Al Kaplan and a book by [title of show]'s Hunter Bell, the cast winds their way through the serial murder investigation. Led by a Laura Jordan as Clarice, Tally Sessions as Hannibal Lecter, and Tom Story as Buffalo Bill, the company navigates the trimmed-down 90-minute version of the show very well.

While there are some slower moments, which could benefit from a further cut or two, the strongest moments are those that feature Jordan, Sessions, or Story. As Clarice, Jordan channels Carol Burnett and Jodie Foster with perfection. Her consistency and dedication to the ridiculousness lets her get away with pretty much anything. Sessions' "Hannibal the Cannibal" is equal parts Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir David Hasselhoff (in the best way) and I fear I'd easily fall victim if he just sang me a few bars. And as the transgender serial killer (more on that in a minute), Story's Buffalo Bill, an homage to La Cage aux Folles' Zsa Zsa, with skin dresses instead of feather boas, is terrifyingly perfect. Story goes beyond impression and into full-un idolatry of the character. It's clear this is a role he's dreamt of for years.

The experience of this show would not work were it not for the seamless direction from Alan Paul. To make this work, it can't include mugging and winks, and with very few exceptions, Silence! steers clear. The set-up brings the audience in on the joke, so anything more than playing their roles seriously, would feel redundant - and we're part of the show from start to finish.

Jason Sherwood's clever, minimalist set pieces create all the scenes we recall from the film and costumes by Frank Labovitz are extraordinarily clever and evocative of a small-town, small-budget theatre experience, without ever feeling cheap.

A note on sensitivity around the material - it's offensive, it's rude, and if you're someone who does not handle those things well, stay away. As someone who is easily offended at a lot of things - and sensitive to others' offenses, I'm happy I was able to leave that at home for a night and dive right in to the utter inappropriateness.

Give Silence! a shot. You won't be disappointed.

Running Time: 90 minutes, with no intermission.

Silence! The Musical plays through August 9, 2015 at Studio Theatre's Studio 2nd Stage - 1501 14th Street, NW, in Washington, DC. For tickets call (202) 332-3300, or purchase them online.

To post a comment, you must register and login.