The Silence Of The Lambs
Milton Keynes Theatre
28th September 2026
Thomas Harris’s ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ has already achieved near-mythical status, first as the bestselling 1988 novel and subsequently through Jonathan Demme’s celebrated film adaptation. Bringing such a familiar story to the stage is therefore an ambitious undertaking, and this production, adapted by award-winning playwright Gina Gionfriddo and directed by Nikolai Foster, marks the world stage premiere of Harris’s novel. Rather than attempting simply to reproduce the film, the production seeks to put its own spin on the psychological relationship between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter at its centre, along with some reworked elements. It’s an intriguing theatrical proposition, although one that inevitably carries the weight of its predecessors, which it never really escapes.
The plot follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling (played by Mollie Gallagher), who is drawn into the investigation of serial killer Buffalo Bill (Sam Jackson). In the hope of gaining an insight into the killer’s mind, Clarice is sent to interview the imprisoned Dr Hannibal Lecter (John Partrrdge), a brilliant psychiatrist and convicted murderer. What begins as an investigative exercise quickly develops into a dangerous psychological contest, with Lecter trying to get into Clarice’s head while she tries to understand the motives of a killer. Meanwhile, Agent Jack Crawford (Oliver Farnworth) and the FBI race against time as Bill’s next victim lies in wait.
When even its title is synonymous with fear and tension, ‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ was always going to have a tough fight, with audiences drawn in by the known property being the first ones to complain that in doesn’t live up to it. Nikolai Foster’s intentions are clearly good, certainly looking the part and having affection for its source material, but the underlying pulsation of cold dread and clinical horror just isn’t there. The key story beats remain in place (albeit with Buffalo Bill’s pathology and motivations made more sensitive to modern attitudes), but it rattles through them with a sense of wanting to just get through it as quickly as possible. Some of the most memorable lines are omitted which will irritate the story’s most ardent fans, and the iconic night-vision climax feels rushed, sped through and appended with a waffly interchange between Starling and Lecter that deflates completely.
If the adaptation feels somewhat robotic and soulless, what can’t be faulted is the production itself, suitably grimy and metallic and atmospheric. It’s a winning combination of clever design (Michael Taylor and George Reeve), stark lighting (Howard Hudson) and macabre props (Robyn Harding), and absolutely elevates the show that rests on its shoulders. This is undoubtedly how any production of this story should look, even if it doesn’t capture the feeling.
Stepping into roles that made Oscar-winners of two movie stars is hardly an enviable position for anyone, having the face the inevitable double-edged sword of either copying the original portrayals or deviating too far from them. Unfortunately it’s a mix of both here with two lead performances that just don’t sit quite right. Mollie Gallagher’s Clarice lacks vulnerability and is too confident from the start, with Gallagher also seemingly hampered by the Deep South accent and trying to hard to “be Jodie Foster”. John Partridge at least tries something different with his Lecter and puts some distance between himself and Anthony Hopkins, but he’s just not scary, with only two or three flashes of genuine menace. The interplay between Clarice and Lecter’s early scenes should crackle with tension as they try to figure each other out, but the dynamic doesn’t achieve this. Lottie Amor’s portrayal of the captured Catherine Martin is also strangely flippant given the character’s dire circumstances. Sam Jackon fares far better as Buffalo Bill, a startlingly dark performance that proves far more gripping and injects some much-needed lifeblood into the piece.
‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ delivers the story but not the scares, in a faithful yet underwhelming adaptation. There is a great play somewhere in here, and it looks fantastic, but changes in both direction and the dynamic between the leads is needed to really make the lambs stop screaming.
Performance runtime – 2 hours 10 minutes including interval
‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 3rd October 2026.
Details at:
https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/whats-on
https://silenceofthelambsplay.com/#tour-dates
