The Silence of the Lambs is a psychological thriller play written by American playwright and television writer Gina Gionfriddo. Its story is based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Harris but takes a large amount of visual inspiration from the 1991 feature-length film.
The play is in two acts and is around two hours long. It follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling who uses the genius imprisoned psychiatrist and mass murderer Dr Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter to garner information about an unidentified serial killer only known as Buffalo Bill who murders and flays young women before dumping them in large bodies of water, in exchange for personal information about Clarice's childhood traumas.
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Production
The play was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Curve in Leicester from 1 to 15 August 2026, before touring the UK and Ireland until June 2027. The play is directed by Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster, with a cast including John Partridge as Hannibal Lecter and Mollie Gallagher as Clarice Starling.
Reception
Mark Lawson of The Guardian praised Nikolai Foster's imaginative staging and described the production as "a show worth seeing".