If you’re wondering how the late lamented Above The Stag theatre got its name, well wonder no more. The original iteration of the theatre was literally above a pub called The Stag which was on the ground floor of an odd-shaped building behind the Victoria Palace. It was demolished a few years ago to make way for the new sprawling development that’s there now. In 2010 I went there for the first (and last) time to see a show the title of which had piqued my interest: Silence! The Musical. How would they approach the iconic movie – seriously or tongue in cheek? It was definitely the latter and I couldn’t wait to see it again fourteen years later.
Silence! The Musical was first performed in New York in 2005 and is written by brothers Jon and Al Kaplan (music and lyrics) and Hunter Bell (book) and is billed as “The unauthorised parody of Silence Of The Lambs”. The plot mirrors that of the iconic, Oscar-winning movie with young FBI trainee Clarice Starling having to confront and pick the brains of the cannibalistic serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter in order to try and catch another serial killer known as ‘Buffalo Bill’. If you haven’t seen it (and why not?) it’s one of the scariest movies of all time and Lecter’s famous line “I ate his liver with fava beans and a nice chianti”, has been quoted endlessly ever since the movie came out although in Silence! The Musical, he denies he said this and says that a purchase from Greggs was involved! it sets to tone for this irreverent parody that’s as funny as the film was scary and has some superb songs, a couple of which the titles of which are not fit to print although they are fit to sing!
On a simple set, with black walls and four black movable screens, the terrific cast of ten give it their all. Apart from Clarice and Lecter, the others are dressed in black and perform as a kind of Greek chorus of sheep (black sheep?) with floppy ears and what looks like spray-can tops as hooves. They also play many other characters, changing persona at the drop of a hat. We also get puppetry, tap dancing, a dream ballet sequence, a Chicago dance parody and lots of inventiveness and creativity – even the bringing on of props is done with great elan and style. Apart from featuring two serial killers, there’s also masturbation, partial nudity, songs that feature swearing (there’s lots and lots of swearing), in-jokes, murder, full frontal nudity (well sort of) and ballet dancing – Silence! The Musical has the lot. The fourteen or so songs are all very funny and tuneful and the lyrics are often hilarious, as is the book – it’s even been updated with references to the last government and Jane McDonald!
Along with all the aforementioned creativity, the performances are all excellent. Phoebe Panaretos is perfect as Clarice mimicking Jodie Foster’s sometimes impenetrable Southern accent whist speaking with what sounds like too many teeth and she sings and dances superbly too. Mark Oxtoby brings a chilling menace to Lecter making even the wearing of a cricket helmet seem alarming. He also has a song the lyrics of which brought an audible gasp from the audience. Jake Anthony as ‘Buffalo Bill’ brings a camp menace to the transexual serial killer whilst singing a song about whether someone would make love to him – although he uses much riper language than that! The rest of the cast, Tom Giles, Matt Bond, Paul Ryan, Sebastian Goffin, Jenay Naima, Catherine Millsom and Nathalie Marrable play their various characters with great energy managing to keep straight faces whilst playing dancing sheep. Everything is pulled together superlatively by director and choreographer Christopher Gattelli who carried out the same roles for the original New York production.
It may not be for the fainthearted but all in all Silence! The Musical is an energetic romp of a show with tremendous songs, a superb book, wonderful performances and it’s 90 minutes straight through without an interval – what’s not to love?
Review by Alan Fitter
As rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling matches wits with the brilliant but insane Dr. Hannibal Lecter in an intense serial killer chase, the most horrific of subjects are paired with a chorus of singing lambs narrating the action and breaking out into cheerful show tunes with unprintable song titles.
CAST
Mark Oxtoby – Lecter
Phoebe Panaretos – Clarice
Tom Giles – Pembry
Jake Anthony – Buffalo Bill
Matt Bond – Chilton
Paul Ryan – Crawford
Sebastian Goffin – Dream Hannibal
Jenay Naima – Arelia
Catherine Millsom – Catherine
Nathalie Marrable – Dream Clarice
SILENCE! THE MUSICAL
Directed and Choreographed by Christoper Gattelli
Book by Hunter Bell based on a screenplay by Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan
Music and Lyrics by Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan
Associate Director is Kevin Zak
4 to 28 September 2024
Turbine Theatre, Battersea
