By Mark Shenton
10 Nov 2009

Silence! The Musical, a spoof of the 1991 film "The Silence of the Lambs," is to receive its European premiere, beginning performances at London's Above the Stag Theatre Jan. 19, 2010, prior to an official opening Jan. 21. , for a run that is booking through Feb. 28, 2010. The cast will be led by Olivier Award winning actor Miles Western as Hannibal Lecter, with Broadway director-choreographer Christopher Gattelli reprising the duties he first performed for the show's 2005 premiere as part of the 9th annual New York Fringe Festival.

The run is booking through Feb. 28, 2010. The cast will be led by Olivier Award winning actor Miles Western as Hannibal Lecter, with Broadway director-choreographer Christopher Gattelli reprising the duties he first performed for the show's 2005 premiere as part of the ninth annual New York Fringe Festival.

That previous outing, where it ran at the Lucille Lortel Theatre from Aug. 12-28, 2005, won it the 2005 New York Fringe Festival Outstanding Musical award. Featuring a book by Broadway actor Hunter Bell (who co-wrote and appeared in Broadway's [title of show], for which he was nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical), the musical has a score by Jon and Al Kaplan. According to press materials, the songs were written in 2003 as a labor of love by the two brothers, who were struggling to break into L.A.'s competitive film composing industry. Their catchy tunes and outrageous lyrics gained a cult online following that culminated in the evolution of the stage show. The London production will feature additional numbers especially written for the U.K.

The show stays true to the story, dialogue and details of the Oscar winning film, "The Silence of the Lambs." Familiar and gruesome quotes — "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti" — are included as Hannibal Lecter, Buffalo Bill and FBI rookie Clarice Starling re-enact their psychological duelling in over-the-top performances before a Greek chorus of floppy eared lambs.

Miles Western, who won the 2001 Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in Musical for his appearance as Miss West Coast/Tawny Jo Johnson in Pageant on its transfer from the King's Head to the West End's Vaudeville Theatre, stars as Hannibal Lecter. He also appeared in Pageant in Chicago. He has also appeared onstage in When Midnight Strikes (Finborough Thetare) and in Taste the Love (Jermyn Street Theatre). His TV and film credits include Brian in "Game in TV" (Sky), Harry Lebovitz in "Doctors" (BBC), and Martin in "Absolutely Fabulous" (BBC), and as Laurent the wig maker in Joel Schumacher's film version of "The Phantom of the Opera."

The cast will also include Gareth Watkins (whose credits include working at Glasgow's Citizens' Theatre and at Bailiwick Rep, Chicago) as Crawford, Bart Williams (Zanna Don't, The Jonah Boy and Whiskey Kisses at Edinburgh Fringe's George Square) as Dr Chilton, Fabian Hatwell as Buffalo Bill, and Catherine Millsom as Catherine and Senator Martin. The part of Clarice, made famous in the film by Jodie Foster, is yet to be cast.

Gattelli is currently represented on Broadway by his musical staging of South Pacific. Other Broadway include choreography for Jason Robert Brown's 13, Sunday in the Park with George (transferred from London's Menier Chocolate Factory and Wyndham's Theatre), The Ritz, High Fidelity and Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. His Off-Broadway credits include Bat Boy: The Musical, has also recently directed the world premiere of Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (at Goodspeed Opera house, Connecticut), and he has also worked in London previously on the U.K. premiere of Jonathan Larson's tick, tick… BOOM! (at the Menier Chocolate Factory).

The lighting designer is Richard Lambert, and the show is being produced by Peter Bull (founding artistic director of Above the Stag Theatre) and Victoria Lang (whose New York credits include Matt and Ben, Johnny Guitar, Listen to My Heart and Shout!, as well as Bat Boy in the West End and Shout! on U.K. tour and in the West End).

To book tickets, contact the box office on 020 8932 4747, or visit www.abovethestag.com