Chas Kircher, portraying Hannibal Lecter, rehearses for “Silence! The Musical,” which begins performances on Friday at Lynn Arts’ Black Box Theater. Photo by Paula Muller
By Bill Brotherton
LYNN — If you like your entertainment crude, rude, twisted and sick, “Silence! The Musical” might be right up your alley.
It’s a musical parody of “Silence of the Lambs,” the gruesome 1991 film that starred Jodie Foster as a young FBI cadet seeking help from Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter, an incarcerated and manipulative murderer, to help capture a serial killer who skins his victims.
Arts After Hours will present the New England premiere of “Silence” Oct. 7-29 at Lynn Arts’ Black Box Theater on Exchange Street.
“This makes ‘Sweeney Todd’ seem like ‘Sesame Street,” said director James Tallach. “One memorable line from the movie becomes a whole musical number. It’s not for the kiddies. We don’t advise parents to bring their kids … but parents might enjoy this night out to get away from the kids,” said Tallach, with a devilish smile.
This is uncharted territory for actor Chas Kircher, who will play Hannibal the Cannibal. By day he’s an elementary school music teacher. Past roles include good-guy Mark in “Rent” and wise-guy gambler Sky Masterson in “Guys and Dolls.” The Revere resident admits “I’ve never played anything like this before.”
Tallach, born and bred in Scotland, moved to Massachusetts in 1998 for a computer programming job. Working with the now-shuttered Turtle Lane Playhouse in Newton, his career quickly changed course. He and Kircher met there, and when the Lecter role for this production went unfilled after auditions, he gave his pal a call. “Chas seems normal, but so does Hannibal Lecter,” Tallach said.
“I’m silly with kids all day,” said Kircher. “I was a bit taken aback when James said I was perfect for this role. … I love the movie, and the chance to take that iconic character and put myself into it was irresistible.”
This show marks Arts After Hours’ fifth year of enticing tourists from Salem’s Halloween festivities to downtown Lynn. It has been a huge success. Corey Jackson, managing director of Arts After Hours, said for last year’s “Texas Chainsaw Musical” audience members came from as far away as England, Australia, Canada and South Africa.
Theater fans who enjoy Ryan Landry’s productions with the Gold Dust Orphans — “The Greatest Little Theatre Company since the Last Supper” — will eat this up faster than a helping of liver, fava beans and a nice chianti. In fact, 2016 Elliot Norton Award winner Tim Lawton, a member of the Gold Dust Orphans (“Thoroughly Muslim Millie”), is music director for “Silence.”
Nicole Spirito is choreographer and cast members include Lisa McDonough, Jeremiah O’Sullivan, Samantha Gambaccini, Michael Barry, Ariel Sargent, Alexander Colacchio, Ricky DeSisto and Kircher.
Tallach said there will be one important change this year: There will be no “Splatter Zone,” special seats where eager audience members would get covered in “blood.” The reason is far from nefarious. “Simply, it was tough to clean it up after each performance.”
But no worries, insisted Tallach, “There will still be a whole lot of blood. Lots and lots of blood.”
The New England premiere of “Silence! The Musical” will take the stage at Arts After Hours, Oct. 7-29, at Lynn Arts, 25 Exchange St. For tickets and information, call 781-205-4010, go to www.artsafterhours.com or visit Arts After Hours’ Facebook page.