No Quiet Here: Silence Offers dark Comic Laughs Based on Famed Thriller

Serial killers, cannibals and a nice Chianti. Silence! The Musical has all the trappings of an award-winning musical. Originally performed as part of the New York International Fringe Festival, the parody of the psychological thriller The Silence of the Lambs follows a similar plot as FBI agent Clarice Starling collaborates with Dr. Hannibal Lecter to track down a serial killer who targets overweight women for their skin. “It has a lot of risque content that most theaters around the area are afraid to delve into,” says artistic director Patrick Ciamacco. The dark themes and strong sexual overtones of the original film get made over for comedy with songs such as Buffalo Bill’s “I’d F*** Me” and the “Quid Pro Quo” duet with Clarise and Lecter. “The actors won’t be playing it like a comedy, they will play it as a drama,” says Ciamacco. “But it’s funny for us as we are watching it.”

Oct. 21-Nov. 5, Blank Canvas Theatre, blankcanvastheatre.com