SILENCE! The Musical To Perform at Third Avenue Street Fair Today

The cast of Off-Broadway's smash hit SILENCE! The Musical will perform the show's opening number at the 36th annual Third Avenue Street Fair today (Saturday) at 3:40 PM on the main stage on Third Ave. between 74th & 75th Street. Cast members will also be on hand at a booth throughout the day to answer questions and to host a special Toss the Lotion game. In addition, there will be ticket giveaways, contests and many more fun surprises.

SILENCE! The Musical, has sold out every single performance since opening on July 9th to unanimous rave reviews. Originally announced as an eight-week limited engagement, the show's Producers extended the run twIce To accommodate the overwhelming demand for tickets. Due to firm October and November booking commitments at Theatre 80, SILENCE! The Musical must end its triumphant run there on September 24th.

SILENCE! The Musical is the unauthorized parody of The Silence of the Lambs, with book by Hunter Bell, music & lyrics by Jon and Al Kaplan, and direction and choreography by Christopher Gattelli.

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.

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 Victoria Lang, Rich Affannato and Donna Trinkoff. The playing schedule for the final 11 performances is Thursday and Friday at 8 PM, and Saturday at 8 & 10:30 PM at Theatre 80, located at 80 St. Marks Place (between First & Second Ave.) Tickets range from $25 to $65 and are available by calling 212-352-3101 or through www.SilenceTheMusical.com.