Silence! The Musical is just one installment in a string of critically acclaimed and popularly enjoyed imaginings of the story of psychotic psychiatrist and criminal mastermind Hannibal Lecter. It all began in 1981 with Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon, which focused on the pursuit and capture of Lecter. In 1988, the second installment in the series, The Silence of the Lambs, became a bestseller. Ted Tally was commissioned to write the screenplay for the 1991 suspenseful thriller of the same name, to be directed by Jonathan Demme. The film became a commercial and critical success and won five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins’ stunning portrayal of the villain, Best Actress for Jodie Foster as the astute FBI agent trainee, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film became a cult classic and paved the way for the psychological thriller and forensics film genres.
In 2003, a decade after the film’s premiere, parodying the popular trend of turning films into musicals, Al and Jon Kaplan decided to write their own version of The Silence of the Lambs, lampooning its complete unsuitability to the musical genre. The musical first started as a series of songs that went viral; their following inspired the brothers to turn the material into a screenplay, which was subsequently adapted for the stage by Hunter Bell. Under Christopher Gattelli’s direction and choreography, the musical premiered at the 2005 New York International Fringe Festival where it won the Outstanding Musical Award. In 2010, Christopher Gattelli's production transferred to the Above The Stag Theatre. An Off Broadway mounting of the show opened in 2011 at Theatre 80 and transferred to the 9th Space Theatre at PS 122. Ultimately, it won the 2012 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical and ran for two years at the Elektra Theatre until its closing in July 2013.
—Elizabeth Dinkova
https://issuu.com/839998/docs/silence__the_musical_program___stud