Review: SILENCE! THE MUSICAL at Barbershop Theatre

I’ve been a horror movie fan for more than half my life. Even though I’ve opened to just about anything, I will never rewatch The Silence of the Lambs. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a wonderfully made classic that has influenced countless filmmakers. Still, I can’t stomach a second viewing (no pun intended). When I heard that Street Theatre Company would be producing a parody musical titled Silence! The Musical, I decided to give it a shot. After all, I loved their previous production of Thankskilling the Musical. I’m glad I gave this one a shot because it is quite possibly the funniest show I got to review this year. Obviously, I knew that this show was going to be far from family friendly. Still, I wasn’t expecting it to be goofy and a little cute. I mean, you’ve got actors dressed as lambs. That’s cute. It certainly reminded me of parody movies that I grew up with like the Hot Shots! movies, Loaded Weapon 1, and the Scary Movie franchise. Running October 9-24 at the Barbershop Theatre, Street Theatre Company’s Silence! The Musical is a dish best served funny side up. 

Before I get into it, I do want to let you all know that this show is currently sold out. However, you can still show up in case someone else doesn’t. When I attended this past Thursday, the patrons who purchased the seats next to me never showed up. And if you cannot see this show at all, then please buy tickets for the next show: A VHS Christmas Carol. This is their third production of the musical in a row, and I absolutely love it. I would also like to mention that my review is late due to personal reasons preventing me from attending the first week as initially planned. Still, I have a job to do. Thank you to STC for still allowing me to do this a week late. 

For as long as I have been seeing STC’s productions, I have always been impressed by the overall designs, from the sets to the costumes. Whether we’re in Lecter’s cell or the well in Buffalo Bill’s house, Garner Harsh’s scenic design is stellar. Just about anything from the filing cabinets to the desk can serve multiple purposes across various scenes. Carly Crocker’s lighting design really highlighted the set. I liked the use of typewriting projections, and despite all the jokes, the lighting could be eerie enough to make a scene a little unsettling. A good example of this is the reveal of what Lecter did to the two guards during his iconic escape scene. That moment when the lights came up was everything. Cameron Cleland’s sound design was effective, whether it was a sound effect to scare someone as part of a joke or the sound of someone roaming around in a parking lot to make someone else nervous. Lauren Yawn’s prop work fits right into the movie’s setting of the 1990’s. Even the massive props like the severed body parts and the fake TV are fun to look at. I’ve covered choreographer Joi Ware’s work in several reviews by now, and this was just as beautiful to watch as the rest. While the ensemble members dressed as lambs have impressive dance numbers, I have to give the spotlight to the dance numbers involving Lecter and Clarice. Not only is it great to see the two interact with each other, but I’m amazed by Joi’s ability to incorporate the set pieces into the choreography. Melissa Durmon did an amazing job matching the actor’s costumes to the ones in the movie as much as possible. Even if they weren’t one hundred percent spot on, they still fit the time period. Of course, I can’t leave out the lamb costumes. Those headbands in particular are just so cute! Producer and Music Director Randy Craft is on top of his game as always. Even though the actors can only see him through a monitor hooked up from the ceiling, they all stay on beat together. I always appreciate STC’s ability to bring live musical accompaniment to such a small venue. I also can’t ignore Sarah Johnson as the dedicated Stage Manager. Always thank a stage manager for their service. The brilliant Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva guided everyone as the director. I was already familiar with her talents as a performer and a writer, but this was my first time seeing her work as a director. She carefully balanced the serious tone of the movie and the goofy nature of the script. It reminded me of how Scary Movie was directed like a horror movie rather than a comedy, with the jokes filling in all the right spaces. I loved every minute of it, and I hope to see more shows directed by her soon. 

With so many characters from the movie to cram onto the stage, Silence! has a strong ensemble of five actors pulling their weight. Elijah Wallace is no stranger to STC, as he has made audiences chuckle in previous productions. Whether he was playing Pembry or Multiple Miggs or even a lamb, he was getting laughs out of me and the audience with his funny voices. Chan Murrell has an incredible voice, especially when she’s playing Clarice’s friend, Ardella. She just lights up the room no matter who she’s playing, and that includes the iconic role of Barney. Aaron Catron was last seen in STC’s production of The View UpStairs, and he’s already finding his footing with the company. He’s delightfully despicable as Dr. Chilton, and his comedic timing is on point no matter who else he’s playing.  I think Kimberly Wolf might be a fan of my writing because she kept singing my name over and-oh, wait. Sorry, she was singing the name of one of the characters she played. Switching between Catherine Martin and her mother, Kimberly Wolf brings a bit of variety in the dual roles with some impressive vocal talent to match. Alan Smith brings just as much heart as he does laughter in the roles of Crawford and Papa Starling (or rather “Shtarling” as mentioned in the program). Whether his humor is dry or straight-up goofy, he bonds well with Clarice as her guide. 

You can’t have a musical based on The Silence of the Lambs without the serial killer on the loose, the serial killer behind bars, and the FBI Academy student interviewing a serial killer to catch another serial killer. I had previously reviewed Andrew Newton in Fairy Floss from this year’s Kindling Arts Festival, and I was more than happy to see him perform again. This time, Newton gets to be unhinged and fabulous as Buffalo Bill. He just throws himself into the role, and he is such a scene stealer. While the character of Buffalo Bill hasn’t aged all that well, Newton plays the role with camp and sincerity without feeling like a mockery of the trans community. Granted, I can’t speak for the trans community, but I thought that he handled it as delicately as possible for an R-rated parody. This is also not my first time reviewing Harrison Hall. He was a great addition to the cast of Yeti Or Not as part of The First Stage’s latest concert lineup, but now I had a chance to catch him as a leading man. Harrison Hall is just so magnetic as Hannibal Lecter. Even with a dry sense of humor, he plays the role as seriously as he possibly can in a parody musical. Charismatic one moment and intimidating the next, you can’t look away from him. Even his facial acting is enough for me to nearly ignore everyone else. While I thought his singing was good in Yeti Or Not, he really shows off his vocal chops as Lector. Of course, where would Hannibal Lecter be without Clarice? Well, if this were the Red Dragon storyline, he’d be bothering Will Graham. In the case of this little musical, he wouldn’t have a captivating scene partner. Jennifer Richmond is an absolute star in the role of Clarice Shtarling. Even when she speaks and sings with a lisp, she plays the role as seriously as possible. Imagine if Anna Farris got to parody Clarice in Scary Movie, and then throw in some extra strength and intelligence. She plays it as if she were in a dramatic horror movie, only someone snuck in some silly dialogue that she read aloud without even noticing. It’s witty, it’s dramatic, and it’s an absolutely killer performance.

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