Blood Brothers

 Curve, Leicester

27^th October, 2026

“It was one day in October…”

The thing about long-running musicals, like Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers (1983), is that they’re informed by decades of their own performance history. Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright’s production, now on tour playing at Leicester’s Curve, has been doing the rounds for 40 years including a 25-year West End run and on Broadway in the early 90s. Much of the current cast have played a significant part in that history. As Mrs Johnstone, the mother who gives up one of her twins to watch them grow up on different sides of the track, I last saw Vivienne Carlyle in the role 14 years ago (to the day!) playing her last performance at the Phoenix Theatre (she then played Mrs Lyons for the run’s final fortnight). As the twin she keeps, Mickey, I’ve seen Sean Jones countless times and his relationship with the show probably goes back 30 years. It’s quite possible he’s literally played Mickey more times than some audience members have had hot dinners. And currently in the role of Policeman/Teacher, Alex Harland has been with the show on and off since it was playing at the Albery Theatre (now Noel Coward Theatre)! There are cast members here who have worked with icons of the show, indeed who have become iconic cast members themselves. Their performances will inform the next generation’s cast members and so on. I’ve seen Blood Brothers around 40 times, and I could see it 40 times more, but one of the joys is seeing the reactions of audience members around you who are seeing it for the first time. It’s important for them, especially, that the show is kept fresh. It’s always someone’s first time.

Kenwright passed away in 2023, but thanks to Tomson and the work of Resident Director Tim Churchill, the show is in excellent shape. Carlyle brings the show together: her Mrs Johnstone is feisty, funny and has a huge amount of warmth and softness in her voice (especially in ‘Easy Terms’) whilst being able to belt the big notes (‘Light Romance’, ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’). Richard Munday’s omnipresent narrator is up there with the likes of Warwick Evans and Keith Burns. His interpretation strikes a right balance between menace and being the omniscient everyman who almost reaches out to characters to try and change their path but never does. Vocally, he’s impressive and the several reprises of ‘Shoes Upon the Table’ are a pleasure to watch. Sean Jones’ transformation from a funny 7 (nearly 8) year old to a depressed man who’s aged too quickly never fails to grip an audience. But some of his earlier scenes with Eddie (Joe Sleight) don’t quite reach the comedic heights I’ve seen before – they can lift the roof off some nights. But this is where Jones’ experience comes to the fore. He’s a master of knowing how to respond in the moment and which jokes to play up for an audience. A quiet Tuesday night in Leicester might get a different response to a midweek school performance, and Jones knows how to play off his fellow actors and the audience to remain authentic in his approach. Sleight makes for a strong Eddie, the boy who has an upper-middle class upbringing, and impressively lowers the pitch of his voice as the show progresses. Elevating the scenes between Mickey and Eddie are newer cast members Beth Danher as the girl in the middle of the pair, Linda, and Michael Gillette as older brother Sammy. They find new rhythms to the text and are a part of what keeps the production fresh.

And what a text it is. Russell moves the plot along at a pace, weaving themes such as class and superstition via various dramatic techniques like monologues and repeated motifs which highlight the difference between childhood play and the harsh realities of adulthood. It’s rare for a playwright to write the music, book and lyrics for a musical but Russell’s achievements here have made all the songs well-known favourites. It’s the strength of his songwriting skills and the emotion of his story which brings audiences back time and time again. The music here is brilliantly realised by Musical Director Matt Malone (with some beautiful new arrangements in the Overture) alongside Ben Payne, James Barber, Glenn Muscroft, Jon Hooper, Richard Wimpenny and Steve Peneycad.

40 years ago, Tomson and Kenwright had a year to hone their production on tour before taking it into the West End with Kiki Dee. That work paid off and the production runs like clockwork, driving towards the inevitable tragic end. There are some fine bits of direction and theatrical images created, from memorable moments such as the iconic building of ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’, to the little comic bit of choreography in ‘Bright New Day’ featuring the ensemble. They know how to people a stage, get the most from a cast and make it endure for 40 years. Here’s to the next 40.

Blood Brothers plays at Curve, Leicester until 31^st October. For more information, please visit https://www.kenwright.com/productions/blood-brothers-uk-tour/

The cast of Blood Brothers. Credit: Jack Merriman

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

 Curve, Leicester

20^th October 2026

 

‘That means I can do anything’

 

When Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was first published over 20 years ago it was heralded as one of the great novels of the 21^st Century. It raised awareness of ASD and presented a unique perspective on the wonders and absurdities of the mundane aspects of domestic life. Similarly, Marianne Elliott’s National Theatre production of Simon Stephens’s adaptation won nearly every award going when it premiered in 2012. Curious Incident has a phenomenal reputation and Ned Bennett’s new, reimagined production has very big boots to fill. Thus, it is extremely pleasing to report that Bennett’s vision is strikingly different and has an identity of its own while maintaining the spirit of Haddon’s novel.

Chris Boone (a gender-switched take on the story’s memorable protagonist) is a 15-year-old girl who loves the colour red, complex mathematical equations, outer space, and her pet rat, Toby. She lives with her dad in Swindon following the death of her mother two years earlier. When her neighbour’s dog is murdered with a garden fork in the middle of the night, Chris sets out to solve the whodunnit while inadvertently uncovering further mysteries and truths that hit closer to home.

As Haddon’s novel is presented as a firsthand account of the action written by Chris(topher), Stephens’s adaptation takes the form of a play (put on by Chris’s school) of Chris’s book. This additional theatrical layer gives scope for some delightfully playful staging. Eleanor Bull’s set is a large, pink open space over two levels – reminiscent of a minimalist school gym – frequented by cardboard cutout houses, foam platforms, and remote control traffic cones. This makeshift aesthetic gives the production an endearingly improvised tone – where the National’s production was high tech and geometrically exact, here we enter a softer, more malleable version of Chris’s world; it feels more domestic but features frequent flights of fancy and humorously surreal elements. For example, having left the comfort of her own home, Chris faces the unfamiliar and perilous aspects of the world as represented by yellow balls of varying size. This is a wonderfully tactile exemplification of the frustration, confusion, and the physical and mental obstacles that are experienced by neurodivergent people on a daily basis. And it’s also a fantastic representation of overstimulation!

In placing a female character at the centre of the story, Bennett and Stephens (along with consultant Dr Sarah Jane Nuttall) shine a light on an underrepresented social demographic. ASD stereotypes are typically informed by media portrayals of male neurodivergence, and in focusing instead on the female experience we gain a more nuanced understanding of the subject. Chris (as opposed to Christopher) internalises a lot of her feelings, shows more subtle displays of ‘masking’, and there is an added poignancy to the relationship with her mother. Making her professional debut, Alex Keenan is a revelation as Chris. Never leaving the stage, she gives a committed, believable and charismatic take on the character. The ensemble cast are polished and do a fine job of supporting Keenan while allowing her to rightfully shine.

While by no means a perfect portrayal of neurodivergence (but what it? As everything is highly specific to the individual), Stephens et al. don’t shy away from the difficulties and frustrations that can result from living with, or caring for a loved one with ASD. Chris’s parents have many faults, but this makes them human, three-dimensional characters and we can sympathise with them to some extent. And over the course of the play, Chris herself can be hilarious, annoying, charming and heart-breaking and the play is all the more rounded for it. Bennett’s playful production breathes new life into this much-loved story that is bound to strike a chord with many young people and parents nationwide.

 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time plays at Curve, Leicester until 24^th October. For full tour details please visit: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

 

Alex Keenan (Chris Boone) in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Credit: Johan Persson

Educating Rita

 Curve, Leicester

1^st October 2026

“I had a choice”

In a programme note for this new production of Willy Russell’s 1980 classic Educating Rita, director Cara Nolan explores the timelessness of Russell’s play: ‘Rita’s determination to learn… continues to resonate in a world where opportunity is still shaped by class, gender and circumstance’. Indeed, the changing social and political landscape has in some ways made access to education more difficult. Open University courses like the one Rita enrols on in the play are no longer free. And the perception of education has also vastly changed. As a new academic year starts at universities across the country, students (quite rightly) now have a much stronger understanding of the job market and the value of a degree. There have been benefits of this, including an increase in the number of vocational courses and apprenticeships on offer. But there are downsides too, particularly in the perception of arts and humanities degrees. Would Rita, today, be studying English Literature? Despite this now being a period piece, and Nolan retaining the 1980s setting, Russell’s language, humour and call for the importance of education in opening up opportunities is as fresh and persuasive as ever.

On the margins of Michael Taylor’s set, rubbish litters the stage which is loomed over by a concrete brutalist structure. It’s perhaps a nod to the perceived rigidity of educational institutions and to the working class setting outside the confines of Frank’s office. Inside though, this academic’s office becomes more of a den. Bookshelves tower the room and contain nooks and crannies for alcohol. Bursting into this well lived-in space, with its dark corners and dusty rugs, is Rita (Alexandra Mardell). She literally cannot open the door at first, a metaphor for the inaccessibility of such institutions. Mardell’s Rita is a breath of fresh air. She has a wide-eyed optimism, natural inquisitiveness and joie-de-vivre that Julie Walters also captured in the 1983 film. In a later scene, she oils Frank’s door of her own accord to make it easier to gain entry, another sign of Rita’s self-determination to jump hurdles. Dominic Mafham’s warm, shaggy-haired Frank welcomes Rita with affability and curiosity. The play has an episodic structure and through a series of scenes (over which Katy Morrison’s lighting gently shifts with the seasons), we see the transformational effect of education in this unconventional spin on the Pygmalion story. In the first act, Rita’s hunger for wanting to learn is a constant, but her ability to articulate complex thoughts about complicated pieces of literature grows in confidence. Likewise, Frank’s apathy gives way to glimmers of hope, small reminders of why he loves literature and teaching.

What I love about Russell’s play is its unapologetic admiration in the power of literature as a force for good and its ability to help us understand human nature. Like Alan Bennett’s The History Boys (2004), it reminds me why I wanted to study English 15 years ago at university. Back then, humanities degrees were well-subscribed and lecture theatres full with students. Now they’re often the first courses universities close in cost-cutting efforts. As Hector says in Bennett’s play, the reason he teaches students English and History isn’t so they can produce so-called “gobbets” – ‘handy little quotes that can be trotted out to make a point’ – it’s to make them ‘rounder human beings’. Likewise, in Russell’s play, Rita says to Frank, ‘you think I just ended up with a load of quotes an' empty phrases’. And through her becoming more well-read and learning about the novels of Forster, the plays of Ibsen and the poetry of Blake, education gives Rita choice to be and do as she wants. It also, like The History Boys, ignites debate about the value of popular and high culture. (Sidenote: if you don’t know it, I’d recommend Russell’s poem ‘I Hate Poems’ which I recall learning off by heart as a teenager).

Of course, in the play, Rita’s transformation and Frank’s inertia has repercussions. After Rita returns from summer school, physically transformed with a new hairstyle and even wanting to change her name, Frank’s wondered what he’s achieved. In learning how to answer essay questions, has she lost some authenticity and the raw talent that Frank initially saw in her? Mardell impressively portrays this transformation, growing in maturity as the play progresses, giving a superbly confident performance. The first novel Frank recommends to Rita is E.M. Forster’s Howards End. That too is partly about women seeking fulfilment from art and culture – ‘the inner life has paid’ the Schlegel sisters reflect late in the novel. The novel’s famous maxim is ‘Only connect’. It’s about being curious, compassionate and having empathy: ‘Live in fragments no longer. Only connect’. It’s what Rita (and Frank) achieve in the play. And thanks to Nolan getting the most from both actors, it’s what Mardell and Mafham achieve, ensuring they’re totally at ease with one another.

Educating Rita plays at Curve, Leicester until 17^th October. For more information, please visit https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/educating-rita/

Dominic Mafham (Frank) and Alexandra Mardell (Rita) in Educating Rita. Credit: Jonathan Pryke

Sylvia

Curve, Leicester

29^th September 2026

 

“Knocked down 7 times, get back up 8”

 

The statue of Alice Hawkins is one of Leicester’s most recognisable landmarks – suffragette and member of the Independent Labour Party, Hawkins was a key figure in the establishment of the Women’s Social and Political Union in the city, alongside Sylvia Pankhurst. Leicester is a fitting locale then for the premier of Kate Prince’s touring production of Sylvia: A Musical Revolution, an epic musical charting the life of the lesser-known Pankhurst. Prince, along with collaborators Priya Parmar (book), Josh Cohen and DJ Walde (music), has created one of the most exciting new British musicals in a long time, that unofficially acts as a wonderful companion piece to Lin Manuel-Miranda’s American political masterpiece, Hamilton, in the way it knowingly subverts historical narratives and musical genres.

Love and loyalty are synonymous with allegiance to the suffrage movement in the Pankhurst family. As political shifts shape early 20^th Century society, revolution is in the air and daughters Christabel, Sylvia and Adela play steadfast foot soldiers to the iron-willed matriarch, Emmeline. In placing the focus on the family at the centre of the Suffragettes, Prince and co shine a light on the buried conflicts, rivalries and diverse complexities at the heart of this renowned period of history. Over the course of the musical, middle-child Sylvia evolves from being an impressionable young girl, intent on her mother’s approval and infatuated with family-friend and leader of the ILP, Kier Hardie, to an opinionated woman with her own political agenda. Moving away from her mother’s upper-class radicalism, Sylvia aligns herself with socialism, pacificism and pledges to fight not only for the rights of wealthy women, but for the working classes often looked down on by her kin.

Themes of family fidelity, personal belief and social duty provide a domestic counterpoint to the large scale political drama acted out on a national scale in Parmar’s crystalline book. What’s more, the creative team elevate the narrative by portraying these heroines as complex, and at times problematic, characters. The dramatic pinnacle of the show sees Sylvia and Emmeline come to blows as a lifetime of previously unspoken grievances, personal and political, are finally confronted in an explosive duet. It’s a thrillingly intimate moment in a musical that’s full of spectacular set pieces.

The hardships suffered by the Suffragettes are not shied away from – state violence, force feeding, smear campaigns – and the use of Cohen and Walde’s hip hop music conveys a subversive and defiant streak that perfectly fits our protagonist in all its incongruity. Similarly, Prince’s punchy choreography juxtaposes a viciousness with a joyful rebelliousness as seen in ‘I Believe in a Golden Age’.  Ben Stone’s design, and Natasha Chivers and Hector Murray’s lighting, ties everything together. The stark black and white palette slowly gives way to red hues, creating some striking images and providing thematic sustenance to the topics of conservatism vs socialism, and love vs duty.

While Sylvia muses on dour and brutal subjects, there is a surprising amount of humour in Price and Parmar’s book. The depiction of Winston Churchill as a pathetic mummy’s boy is a particular highlight, and the scenes between Churchill, his wife and his battleaxe of a mother are a treat. There is also a delicious self-awareness in some of the musical numbers which eradicates any possibility of the piece becoming po-faced.

The ensemble cast are uniformly excellent, creating memorable characters from the most minor of figures; everyone has their moment in the spotlight. Beverley Knight demonstrates just why she won an Olivier Award for her portrayal of Emmeline Pankhurst, as she transforms from playing the cold authoritarian to bringing the house down with the most passionate of vocal performances. Naomi Katiyo more than matches Knight in prowess – her Sylvia is empathetic and intelligent, with just the right amount of insolence. Katiyo has a warm presence which makes rooting for her effortless.

I would recommend Sylvia to anyone looking for a fresh and fearless British musical. It provides a valuable history lesson, but more importantly, it is a stonkingly entertaining show that earns its place alongside modern classics such as Hamilton and Six. The three-hour run time flew by and I could have watched it again immediately.

 

Sylvia plays at Curve, Leicester until 3^rd October. For full tour details visit: Sylvia: A Musical Revolution

Beverley Knight MBE (Emmeline Pankhurst) and Naomi Katiyo(Sylvia Pankhurst) in 2026 production of Sylvia. Photo by Tristram Kenton.

 

Till the Stars Come Down

 Nottingham Playhouse

19^th September 2026, matinee

“I'm not ready for tomorrow. I'm not ready”

The Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2024 was a tight race. Whilst the winner, James Graham’s Dear England, cut through to the wider public in a way that not many plays do, I felt it was too long and sprawling to win. Jez Butterworth’s The Hills of California was a split-time family drama which explored the legacies of abuse and the way we tell stories to shape our lives. Jack Thorne’s theatrical biopic The Motive and The Cue was excellent and probably a more worthy winner than Dear England. And then there was Beth Steel’s Till the Stars Come Down. Another play about sisters (like Butterworth’s), Steel’s hilarious and well-observed comedy of a family wedding in her native Mansfield is a masterpiece. Now receiving its regional premiere at Nottingham Playhouse no less, director Caroline Steinbeis brings the play home in a suitably rowdy production which isn’t afraid to get cheek-by-jowl with the audience.

It’s Sylvia’s wedding day and the family have gathered to celebrate her nuptials to Marek. A wedding is perfect breeding ground for drama: sibling rivalries, long-buried tensions that surface, temptations to give into, a drunk aunt. They provide a crucible for elements that, when combined, spit and crackle. And yet they’re seldom done well. A comedy focusing on working class characters at a wedding has the potential to veer into a cheap farce like Fur Coat, No Knickers. But the compassion Steel has for all of her characters and their well-mined, satisfyingly realised backstories ensures that their class is not the butt of the joke. The love and tensions which underline the relationships between Steel’s characters, particularly the main trio of sisters, is compelling. The first scene portrays the bride getting ready, and it’s the eldest sister Hazel (Emma Pallant) who whips them all into shape. Her husband (Graeme Hawley) is out of work and she’s juggling two kids in addition to taking on the maternal role to her two sisters. She’s just about in control but also looks as if she’s got the world on her shoulders. Whereas Hazel’s a home bird, Maggie (Leah Brotherhead) is flightier. She’s been through several husbands, not visited home in six months and has an underlying dissatisfaction which can lead her astray (the reason she’s not visited soon becomes apparent). Complementing them both is Sylvia, and in AK Golding’s portrayal, we see her kind-heartedness and wide-eyed naivety. There’s enough for a play there in these characters alone, but Steel, who has a fine ear for the Nottingham vernacular, peoples her play with a richly-drawn family.

Their widowed dad (Howard Ward), a retired miner, is imbued with a sadness that he’s giving away his last daughter; seeing her in his wife’s wedding dress, he nearly faints – a reminder that a marriage is more than just a wedding. His 40-year rift with his brother Pete (Joe Alessi) over their different views in the miners strikes comes to the fore in the final acts. The personal and political impact of the miners strikes in Nottingham have been thrillingly dramatised in Steel’s own Wonderland (2014) and Graham’s BBC series Sherwood. Here the strikes are a part of the family’s history, deeply-rooted in these characters and shaping the way the brothers are defined to the rest of their family. And by drawing on real local history, it’s another example of Steel adding texture to her characters. Steel’s skill is her dialogue: we recognise this family and the way they speak. Amazingly, for me, they speak in a way I instantly recognise but seldom hear on stage. This is no more apparent than in Sadie Shimmin’s tour-de-force performance as Aunty Carol. With no airs and graces, Carol gate crashes top table, clears the floor with her rendition of ‘It’s Raining Men’, and becomes more sharp-tongued as the drink flows. But, as much as the dialogue is prosaic, there are moments of poetry as Steel reflects on the insignificance of the characters’ problems against the weight of history and the massiveness of the universe. Alessi’s speech where he recounts all of Nottinghamshire’s mining towns whilst rubbing the rim of a wine glass is particularly moving – and perhaps all the more so performed in Nottingham. And what’s especially nuanced is her ability not to draw easy conclusions. For instance, Sylvia’s groom Marek (Ivan Ivashkin) is Polish and there are tensions about the apparent influx of Polish immigrants in the local area. But at the same, we’re reminded that immigrants have long been a part of the town’s history.

Whereas the original National Theatre production was played in the round, Steinbeis presents the play end-on. Initially, this seems worrying as the first scene, played in front of a curtain, can seem flat. But throughout the play, the playing space (set by Oli Townsend) opens up and the cast warmly includes the stalls as part of the playing space. It’s a decision which pays off. It may seem frenzied but, like with any wedding especially where the characters are so brash, we take the rough with the smooth. There are a multitude of plot twists as the evening progresses and blood is spilt before the evening is out. The three sisters will never be quite the same again, and Steel cleverly hints that these multigenerational tensions will impact the next one too. The whole cast relish their parts. And thanks to Steel and her Chekhovian skill, there’s a lot to relish.

Till the Stars Come Down plays at Nottingham Playhouse until 26^th September. For more information, please visit https://nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/till-the-stars-come-down/

Leah Brotherhead, Emma Pallant and Sadie Shimmin in Till the Stars Come Down. Credit: Sam Taylor

Barnum

 Curve, Leicester

Tuesday 1^st September, 2026

 

‘There’s a sure-as-shooting sucker born a minute’

 

Before Hugh Jackman introduced a new generation to the 19^th century showman P.T. Barnum in the Disney movie The Greatest Showman, the 1980 musical Barnum brought the big top to Broadway. Juggling song, dance, and circus antics, Jonathan O’Boyle’s revival (originally staged at the Watermill Theatre) is a menagerie of spectacles, uplifting Mark Bramble’s slight book and the nice-but-uninspiring music from the otherwise reliable Cy Coleman.

Taking the form of a 19^th Century roadshow, a Ringmaster announces the re-enactment of pivotal scenes from Phineas Taylor Barnum’s life, as he navigates humbles beginnings, marital disputes, showbiz endeavours, and even politics. Key to Barnum’s success is the art of monetising his trademark ‘humbugs’ (read: ‘lies’). For example, he gets his start running a sideshow featuring Joice Heth, the ‘World’s Oldest Woman’, (160 years old, believe it or not…), and when the customers don’t bite, he quickly changes tack, instead selling Heth as George Washington’s nursemaid, which the public eagerly lap up. His ‘exaggerations’ continue in his hiring of ‘General’ Tom Thumb, while he sells tales of ‘four-headed frogs’ and ‘mermaids’ to gullible punters. Stumbling blocks arise in the form of building fires, extra-marital affairs and grief, yet these potentially dramatic events are skimmed over by Bramble, seeming superficial (a bit like Barnum himself). While one could argue this fits the revue style of the musical, I felt that it resulted in a lack of narrative jeopardy.

While Coleman’s music does not reach the heights of his classic score for Sweet Charity, it is infused with the spirited telltale sounds of the circus – bells, kazoos, penny whistles. This brings a great energy to proceedings, which is matched by Michael Stewart’s playful lyrics. This is most evident in the tongue-twisting patter number ‘Museum Song’ which rattles along at an impressive breakneck speed. ‘Join the Circus’ and ‘Black and White’ are also highlights in a serviceable score, injecting a dose of jazz and pizzaz.

While the book and music – entertaining enough – are not the strongest, Barnum’s selling point is most-definitely its spectacle and stagecraft. A team of acrobats adorn the stage, hand-walking and silk-swinging us through scene transitions. The Watermill staple actor-musician element is fitting for the piece, and, as always, I was awestruck by the multi-threat cast. Penny Ashmore compliments her stunning operatic voice, as Swedish superstar Jenny Lind, with some gorgeous harp-playing and balletic poise. Monique Young is sympathetic as Taylor’s long-suffering wife, Charity. Young plays her as an earthy alternative to Barnum’s flighty fancies while maintaining a mischievousness to rival that of her husband. Matt Rawle is all charm as the man himself – witty, impish and always quick with a dazzling smile – he effortlessly portrays Barnum’s inexhaustible zest for life. And he pulled off the famous high-wire walk with aplomb!

Pasek and Paul’s The Greatest Showman has those sought-after ear-worms that have infiltrated popular culture over the last decade, not to mention the gloss afforded by the Disney name, yet Barnum offers an alternative, fittingly rougher depiction of a particular era in American history. The musical feels like an authentic evening at the circus, full of sporadic wonder and the electric tension that arises from seeing stunts accomplished in real-time. The tour is well-worth seeing for the visuals alone, not to mention a highly talented cast putting their all into a highly technical production. As my companion said as we left the theatre – ‘it must be a nightmare to Stage Manage’, so a big shout out to the backstage team too!

Barnum is playing at Curve, Leicester until 5^th September as part of a UK tour. For further information, please visit https://www.kenwright.com/productions/barnum-2026-uk-tour/

 

Matt Rawle as P.T Barnum in Barnum. Credit: Pamela Raith

The Silence of the Lambs

Curve, Leicester

5^th August, 2026

“Tell me, Clarice. Did the lambs stop screaming?”

Page-to-stage adaptations of thrillers have an enduring appeal to audiences and theatres. From Agatha Christie to more modern successes like The Girl on the Train and this Autumn’s touring production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, thrillers bring in new audiences and provide an opportunity to see these stories’ heroes and villains in the flesh. ‘In the flesh’ couldn’t be more appropriate a phrase for the stage premiere of Thomas Harris’ 1988 novel about an FBI trainee who uses prison visits with infamous murderer Dr Hannibal Lecter (John Partridge) to catch a serial killer. It’s a hugely ambitious undertaking and on which Nikolai Foster’s confident production fully embraces.

Playwright Gina Gionfriddo is a smart choice to adapt Harris’ novel. As a seasoned writer on Law & Order and FBI: Most Wanted, she has the knowledge and interest in the inner workings of those who commit horrible crimes. And her plays like Rapture, Blister, Burn (2012) and Becky Shaw (2008) – which was recently nominated for Best Play Revival at the Tony Awards – explore brutality in male-female power dynamics. She rightly places Clarice centre stage. Foster places our focus on her from the offset, introducing her outsmarting the male cadets with her psychological insights, stubbornness to keep digging for answers, and deftness with a gun. Setting the play in the 80s adds an extra element to the gender politics, and it’s not just the prisoners who provide barriers to her. Whilst the plot shows many of the play’s women as victims, Clarice is far from this, and she navigates social challenges, personal demons, and literal battles with serial killers heroically.

It’s no surprise then that Agent Jack Crawford (Oliver Farnworth) chooses her to meet Lecter to gain insight into the mind of Buffalo Bill. Michael Taylor’s tricksy set shows the oppressiveness of prison life and his rendering of Lecter’s high-security cell is inspired by the production design of the movie. But bullet-proof glass, stone walls and heavy locks aren’t enough to contain Lecter’s wits and it’s the scenes between Lecter and Clarice where the Gionfriddo’s dialogue crackles. There’s added theatricality when we first meet Lecter, his cell slowly brought onstage with Partridge facing out to the audience, hands on the glass, accompanied by Grant Olding’s prophetic music. Partridge is clever casting: he has a dominating presence, a chiselled handsomeness, and conveys Lecter’s charm and gentility naturally. Its these attributes, the glint in his eye a mere suggestion of what he’s capable of, which make him so watchable. And whilst there’s an easy inclination to compare him to Anthony Hopkins’ performance, Gionfriddo’s decision to cut some of the more quotable lines from the movie avoids his performance veering into pastiche. Lecter doesn’t easily give Clarice what she wants and Giondriddo doesn’t give in to the same temptations for the audience. Partridge is easily matched by Mollie Gallagher’s unflinching portrayal as Clarice. Her unblinking intensity is compelling; she at times seems to be performing on a forward slant as if to demonstrate Clarice’s fearless head-on nature. For her professional stage debut, she gives a remarkable performance. They’re well-supported by a cast which includes a lot of talent local to Leicester, but it’s Partridge and Gallagher’s relationship which raises the standard, and their scenes together are the most effective in the play as they give superbly convincing central performances.

Foster’s production balances the stillness of these two-hander scenes in Hannibal Lecter’s cell with the more action-packed scenes that follow Buffalo Bill (Sam Jackson). These have a cinematic momentum, aided by George Reeve’s projections to locate the action across various US states, and Olding’s music and Carolyn Downing’s sound design which underscores most of the evening. There’s a considerable amount of gore, an impressive fight scene, and cinematic realism which has transferred to the stage seamlessly.

Gionfriddo’s work has been compared with Wendy Wasserstein’s. In Wasserstein’s play The Heidi Chronicles, another play about the struggles of women in a patriarchal world, Heidi’s advised that ‘men don't dance with desperate women’. It’s Clarice strength which makes her Lecter’s match. Audiences won’t be disappointed by the play’s showier moments, but for me the prison scenes are the best, when we see Clarice and Lecter duel so effectively. The premiere of The Silence of the Lambs on stage might struggle to fully eschew the film’s legacy, but it does satiate on a number of fronts and is a welcome addition to the stage thriller oeuvre.

The Silence of the Lambs plays at Curve, Leicester until 15^th August followed by a UK tour. For further information please visit The Silence of the Lambs - Curve Theatre, Leicester

John Partridge as Dr Hannibal Lecter and Mollie Gallagher as Clarice in The Silence of the Lambs. Credit: Marc Brenner