From the word go, this hilarious musical draws you in with its ridiculousness and never lets up, firing out gags at a relentless pace as it lovingly parodies the superb 90s psychological thriller The Silence of the Lambs.
Key to its success is the riotous send-up of some of the movie's most vulgar and sincere moments, but there's lots to enjoy about it even if you haven't seen the film. I particularly enjoyed the charming low budget, lo-fi quality to it all, and the company's often ingenious use of physical theatre to compensate for a lack of expensive set pieces (look out for Clarice's helicopter ride).
It wasn’t just about the comedy of course, and the songs were excellent too – the undoubted highlight was If I Could Smell Her C*** (not a show for children, in case you wondered!) which was so deliciously camp yet chilling, and showcased Mark Oxtoby’s wonderful vocal ability.
Speaking of Oxtoby, his characterisation of the iconic villain Hannibal Lecter was spot-on, all ice-cold menace and intense stares, and despite the comedic chaos going on around him, he maintained his character superbly. Playing the other lead, the ambitious wet-behind-the-ears FBI wannabe Clarice Starling, was the quite brilliant Phoebe Panaretos, who also absolutely nailed her (slightly exaggerated) characterisation and accent.
There were highly accomplished and creditable performances all across the ten-strong company, whether courtesy of their singing, dancing, or their comic acting – everyone was a delight to watch.
Overall, it’s a fast-paced, inventive, and most importantly side-splitting musical, and one which I am sure will go down a storm at the Edinburgh Fringe. Why not enjoy it over a nice bottle of chianti at the Norwich Playhouse – it’s on until Sat 27 July.
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