A hair-raising and horrifying adaptation, Silence of the Lambs, directed by Nikolai Foster and staring Salford-born actor, Mollie Gallagher, took to the Lowry stage this October and it brought the terrifying classic closer than ever before.
For lovers of the book and the film, this newest stage performance does not disappoint as we follow Clarice Starling using imprisoned serial killer Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ Lecter’s knowledge to catch raging murderer Buffalo Bill, before it’s too late.
As soon as I sat down there was a tension in the atmosphere, be it from prior knowledge of the story, or the overwhelming buzz from the crowd as the excitement of a new play filled the room. Equally, the decision to keep the set covered until the play began added to this sense of anticipation, still leaving an element of the play unknown.
Mollie Gallagher who’s one of Salford’s own great talents immediately won over the audience as the leading lady, Clarice Starling. She had perfected West Virginian accent, beautifully displaying the intelligence and strength of character that Starling has become known for.
However, the play’s greatest success would be difficult to name as anything other than its set design. When it came to the reveal of Hannibal Lecter, John Partridge stood with a great sense of threat and foreboding.
Yet, music designer Carolyn Downing and composer Grant Olding’s choice to play such overpowering and alarming music as the cell was wheeled out, paired with the white forensic spotlights from Howard Hudson gave the moment all the fear and grimness, which the audience would have hoped for.
Speaking with the set designer for the show, Michael Taylor, it became clear that the audience’s expectations for the play were very important to the director. He “wanted it to look much closer to the film than [Michael] expected.”
When asked about the infamous see-through cell, which Hannibal Lecter is kept in, Michael Taylor explained “everything got as sort of as close to the film as we could do so while also making it possible to tour.”
Indeed, the set and other design elements closely resembled much of the film while still bringing a new life to the story, plunging you into the action and wonderfully displaying how dynamic the theatre can really be. To second the words of Michael Taylor, the lighting and projection designer truly proved themselves to be “brilliant.”
As far as similarities to the movie with the cast, it seemed as though John Partridge aimed to take on a more novel depiction of Hannibal Lecter, ditching the character’s uncomfortable, disturbing nature and the renowned disquieting hissing for a more upfront and brooding portrayal.
A very powerful aspect of the performance which allowed the play to set itself apart from previous adaptations of ‘Silence of the Lambs’ was the way that two scenes would happen at once, with the cell being used to show Buffalo Bill creating the skin jacket on top of it, while Hannibal Lecter remained inside the cell, telling Clarice about Bill’s intentions of building himself “a new mommy.”
The way Bill also watched threateningly over certain scenes from the bridge gave the performance its own extra flair. This gentle detail, paired with Sam Jackson’s chilling take on Bill’s obsessive and troubled mind truly sealed the performance’s ability to exist apart from previous adaptations.
Throughout the performance the comedic elements allowed the audience some welcomed relief, and when the curtain fell my heart was left racing, yet in awe of the performance I had just seen.
While the production has now left The Lowry, it will still be touring all across the country until June 2027 and is certainly worth the travel to see.
