Musicals are polarising. You’re either a diehard fan or run in the opposite direction from them. “Silence! The Musical” brings some unique and unconventional draws to this controversial genre. It’s based on a movie that most people have seen and the general consensus on which is positive. You also get the horror/thriller combo presented here which doesn’t naturally scream (pun intended) “musical!” And to top it all off, you’re promised raunchy, offensive and shameless comedy. You can see why it was hard for us to turn down this scrumptious musical!
“Silence! The Musical” is a absolutely fantastic. It might be the funniest show you’ll see in Vancouver all year. Because it is based on such a well known film, it will appeal to more than just the musicals base. The narrative is packed with hilarious songs that are catchy enough to get lodged in your head for days. The song Buffalo Bill’s living victim’s mother sings to humanise her daughter to him, “Katherine, Katherine” (x 100), is still ringing in my ears. Hannibal Lecter’s filthy but melancholic rendition of “If I Could Smell her C*nt” shocks and tickles in equal measure. Buffalo Bill’s fiery drag solo is dramatic and clever as well. There are so many great songs with witty lyrics. If I wrote them all down you’d be reading the show’s entire set list.
The cast of “Silence!” is made up not only of top notch comedic actors but also of extremely talented singers. The actors playing Hannibal Lecter and Katherine and her mother (one person!) are the most impressive. Their vocal ranges and emotiveness elevate every song they touch. The entire cast is extremely likeable. Everyone gets a chance to shine and show their mettle. The cast also sporadically break the fourth wall at opportune moments to tell us not to take the show too seriously. Clarice Starling parodies Jodie Foster’s signature sloshing and slurring Southern accent. We also get homages to Foster’s sexuality throughout the show as Clarice shares lingering romantic moments with another female officer on her team. Hannibal Lecter is sinister and wise. He strikes just the right balance between funny and scary. Buffalo Bill is similarly funny and scary. This delicate play between comedy and horror is what makes “Silence!” so special. Another great example of this is when the supporting cast, dressed as lambs, shows up at times to cut tension and create more hilarious absurdity.
We absolutely loved this show. We LOL-ed through it from start to finish. Its stinging one liners are abundant and the writing does a lot to situate the movie in today’s world. If you were to look at Silence of the Lambs today, it would appear transphobic, fat-phobic, and eroticising violence on women. But it also tells the story of a woman who beats the odds; albeit with the necessary help of a man. The play makes these subtle commentaries on the film and in doing so shows us that it has opinions, strong woke feelings as well as a mad sense of humour. “Silence!” takes the movie’s instances of transphobia, fat-phobia, and misogyny, and blows them out of proportion to expose their absurdity.
Another wonderful thing about this show, aside from its smart writing and talented singers and actors, is its casting. Many of the actors are graduates of Capilano University’s theatre program. The actresses playing Clarice and Katherine, aside from being brilliant at their trade, are full sized women. It made me realise how rare it is to see bigger women on stage as principal characters, especially when the characters are sexualised or appraised for beauty. That we see thin people on stage almost 100% of the time is not a coincidence. This is because full-figured women have been intentionally kept off of mainstream stages. It was amazing to see these moulds being broken so that real talent could grace the stage, no longer held back by silly criteria.
On the technical front, the stage was expertly used with the smart use of sliding brick walls to recreate the prison environment as well as the clever use of a dresser. The lighting and smart placement of shadows created the appropriate eerieness. The well was also cleverly recreated with very little. In the director’s notes, the lack of funding for theatre is emphasised ,and what this production has done to make the most of its resources is admirable. The production also showed at the Winnipeg Fringe so expect the same creativity and disregard for conformity and general decorum that you would expect of Fringe shows.
I urge you to visit this brilliant cast at “Silence!” You will laugh till your sides hurt, see some amazingly talented singing and acting, and get songs stuck in your head for days to come.
Get your tickets here!
– Prachi Kamble