"The Silence Of The Lambs"

Indigo Productions and Crossroads Live in association with Curve.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

The play had its world premiere at the Curve Theatre in Leicester earlier this year, and is Directed by Curve's Nikolai Foster. It's written by Gina Gionfriddo, based on the book of the same name by Thomas Harris.

The 1991 film has been one of my favourite thrillers probably since its' release, and this stage play is based more on the novel rather than the film, and you may notice a few slight differences in the stage version, one of them around "Buffalo Bill".

 FBI trainee Clarice Starling is sent by her superior, Jack Crawford, to interview the brilliant but dangerous Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The FBI needs Lecter's unique psychological insight to track down "Buffalo Bill," a serial killer who kidnaps and skins women.  Lecter agrees to help, but only if Clarice feeds him details about her difficult childhood and innermost fears. Their sessions turn into a tense mind game that feels like a twisted form of therapy. 

John Partridge plays Hannibal Lector, the  brilliant, imprisoned psychiatrist and manipulative cannibal who offers Clarice psychological insights. I've reviewed John's stage performances several times now, but this is a role like no other. John has that ability to outwardly look like the nicest bloke on the planet, and then with just a change of his features, morphs into a look that will terrify you; and that is Hannibal lector. All he has to do is stand there and look out from the stage in his glass box to send the chills down your spine, with or without Lector's iconic mask. Add that voice to the equation and a glass of chianti is the last thing on your mind! It almost reminds me of a visit to one of those sea life centres where you can walk through a glass tube and there's a vicious shark in the tank, watching you, slowly circling, looking harmless until the teeth show and you pray that the glass is strong enough to keep that distance between you; frightening but thrilling all at the same time.

Clarice Starling is played by Coronation Street's Mollie Gallagher in her professional stage debut. Starling is the young FBI trainee assigned to help catch the notorious killer. You get so used to hearing an actor talking one particular way, with a certain accent, especially a soap actor who is in your living room several times a week, so when you first hear Mollie as Clarice, you have to hand it to her for sounding, and looking so different to Nina from Corrie, and so much like Jodie Foster. The accent, and you know I love accents, is so spot on it almost throws you for a second. Mollie is on stage probably about 99% of the time, an absolute mammoth of a task for anyone making their first outing as a professional stage actor. I can't wait for Nina to come back from Whitby, and then on the other hand, I can't wait to see Mollie on stage again.

Jame Gumb, aka "Buffalo Bill", the main serial killer hunted by the FBI who abducts women and skins his victims, is played by Sam Jackson, who I last saw on stage back in 2013 as Billy Caspar in the play version of my all-time favourite film "Kes" at Derby Theatre. You may recognise Sam from playing Alex in "Skins". Sam gives another excellent lesson in how to play a psychotic, unhinged serial killer, and the scenes where he dresses up as his late mother using human skin and hair is incredibly unnerving; the scenes near the end of the play are also made even more chilling with the lighting design in that particular scene.

Oliver Farnworth, who you'll also recognise as serial killer John Sugden in "Emmerdale", plays Jack Crawford, the head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit who recruits Clarice for the dangerous assignment. Crawford comes across as quite hard-nosed at the start but then he starts to mellow out when he sees the quid pro quo results Starling gets from Lector. Oliver is a seasoned stage performer and has worked with Director Nikolai Foster previously. This character is a million miles away from the roles we have seen him play on the TV, showing his flexibility as an actor.

Dr. Frederick Chilton. a pompous and unpleasant supervisor of the psychiatric hospital where Lecter is locked away, is played by Minal Patel. Chilton is a real slimeball and soon changes his attitude with Clarice when he realises that she is not just going to cowtow to his demands because of his position. As with film, theatre of TV, a good actor will really make you feel things about their character and Minal has no problem making the bile rise with Chilton.

The rest of the cast are Jo Mousley, no stranger to Derby Theatre, (Senator Ruth Martin / Kimberly Emberg), Lottie Amour (Catherine Martin / Frederica Bimmel), Mark Peachey (Lucas / Pilcher / Greg), Andrew Joshi, another regular to the area, (Peterson / Lamar / Pembry), Jonny Magnanti (Brigham / Miggs) and Mary Timbrell Hill (Ensemble).

Having four extremely well recognised actors upfront can make believing the characters that they are playing sometimes a little difficult, but not this time around. It was long before I was watching the characters from the film/novel, and completely forgot that I was watching some of my favourite soap/drama actors on stage.

Directed by Nikolai Foster, the Leicester Curve legend who has brought so many great musicals and dramas to life on stage. The tension and the build up to the explosive sections were subtly done, building to a dramatic crescendo. Associate Director is Julia Thomas.

Michael Taylor's stage design is equally as thrilling. The glass enclosure housing Lector was superb and claustrophobic, and the journey to his prison would give anyone the creeps, especially when other crazies were shooting their arms out and shouting out obscenities. The rapid and smooth scene changes to the FBI Office all helped with the fluidity of the play, almost becoming cinematic. Gumb's hide out made you believe the threat he created for the women while having that cold feel, even though Gumb rarely wore more than just his pants, the starkness of his abode screaming serial killer. 

The lighting design by Howard Hudson is enough to provoke nightmares, the dim lighting, the smoky alleyways, the glaring white lights illuminating Lector's glass case presents a wonderfully overwhelming sense of doom and danger.

Carolyn Downing's sound design is also an important aspect to create the mood of the play. You can hear that creeping menace approaching which sets your nerves on edge, and of course, when it's combined with the lighting design it's guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seats.

The Projection Designer is George Reeve. Brilliantly designed to create that butterfly effect, only with moths, and of course the red designs of many of the video designs screams danger at you. It's also used to show the news report about Senator Ruth Martin's missing daughter, heightening the horror that she may be the next victim of Buffalo Bill.

Grant Olding's musical compositions are like another member of the cast. They creep up on you, surround you and swallow you up, giving every hair on your body permission to stand to attention, I love this musical score.

Costume Supervisor is Debbie Bennett and all the iconic costumes from the film are here, immediately positioning all of the characters in your mind, breaking down any need for introductions and background to the characters.

Wigs Supervisor is Bev Chorlton. It never fails to amaze me just how a good, accurate wig can change a person's whole look, and with Starling's look, the wig changed Mollie's appearance straight away.

Props Supervisor is Robyn Harding. At first glance you could be mistaken into thinking this stark set is just that, stark. But then just take a look around and tot up all of the props used, there's loads of them, all bringing the story to life.

The Movement Director for the show is Dale White. This area is most prevalent with Hannibal Lector. He has a very distinctive way of moving while cooped up in his tiny glass cell, almost as if he is saving energy, with only the odd outburst of angry energy. There's a very different set of movements with Dr Lector near the end of the play when he resembles an uncaged tiger, making sure the rest of the creatures know that he is the boss; a very confident swagger.

Everything you could want from such an iconic chiller thriller is here in this play, along with the perfect cast of actors. Anyone who has seen the film, or read the book, will know what happens at the end, so make sure that you don't have nightmares, and check that your front and back doors are securely locked, and in the words of Shaw Taylor, "keep 'em peeled". Sleep tight!

"The Silence Of The Lambs" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 19 September. The Doctor is expecting you, so book your appointment, it's best not to keep him waiting!