SILENCE! The Musical is the unauthorised musical parody of the Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs. As rookie FBI agent Clarice matches wits with the brilliant but insane Dr Hannibal Lecter to catch the serial killer known only as Buffalo Bill, a chorus of singing lambs breaks out into show tunes about the most horrific of subjects. Complete with singing serial killers, songs with unprintable titles and a chorus of lambs, SILENCE! the Musical comes charging at you with gleefully unstoppable bad taste.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
The idea of SILENCE! sprung from the question: What is the last movie in the world you would ever make a musical of? Naturally, the answer was “The Silence of the Lambs.” The idea took shape and premiered at the 2005 FringeNYC and beat out 200 shows to win “Best Musical.”
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
Jon & Al Kaplan originally wrote SILENCE! as a film. They released some of the music on the Internet, which went viral. Hunter Bell adapted the Kaplans’ screenplay into a book for the musical, weaving in the songs. Christopher Gattelli came on board to choreograph and make his directorial debut.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
We have been wanting to play the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2006, so it feels great to finally get here. We have always felt Edinburgh is where the show belongs.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
Tap dancing lambs, a serial killer singing gleeful show tunes and unprintable lyrics.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
Anyone who has seen the movie will never watch it the same again.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
The SILENCE! audience is fans of the film and anyone who finds humour in clever, unstoppable bad taste.
It’s an intense month, so where you’re able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
I don’t anticipate any relaxation! If I have time, I want to support the shows my friends and colleagues are presenting: Come Dine With Me, Cyrano, Hold Onto Your Butts and others.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
I haven’t been to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in many years. So ask me this question in September…
Interested in being featured on our Have a Gander page? With many previews and Q&As lined up, we’re always happy to chat about including your show in future articles. Please do get in touch through the contact page to feature in an upcoming ‘Have A Gander’