'Silence!' extends run through Sept. 2

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NEW YORK, March 27 (UPI) -- The producers of the off-Broadway show "Silence! The Musical" have extended the run of the unauthorized parody of "The Silence of the Lambs" through Sept. 2.

The critically acclaimed musical, which opened July 9 at Manhattan's Performance Space 122, has a book by Hunter Bell, music and lyrics by Jon and Al Kaplan, and direction and choreography by Christopher Gattelli.

Initially announced as an eight-week limited engagement, the show's producers said they extended the run three times to accommodate the demand for tickets.

Starring David Garrison, Jenn Harris and Stephen Bienskie, it is based on Thomas Harris' novel and the subsequent film adaptation about how young FBI agent Clarice Starling tries to enlist the help of brilliant, jailed serial killer Hannibal Lecter to catch another murderer still on the loose. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins won Oscars for their portrayals of Starling and Lecter in Jonathan Demme's movie, which earned the Best Picture Oscar.

"The laugh-out-loud, naughty satire, 'Silence! The Musical,' features a singing chorus of floppy-eared lambs narrating the action as Buffalo Bill gleefully dances a hoedown while kidnapping hapless Catherine Martin. Even Dr. Lecter, scary as ever, sings about the life he'd like to lead someday outside the prison walls," a synopsis said.

Spotted at performances of "Silence!" have been Foster, Demme, James Earl Jones, Kelly Ripa, Josh Groban, Lisa Lampanelli, Matt Bomer, Joan Rivers, Chita Rivera, Stephen Schwartz, Jeremy Jordan, John Kander, Mario Cantone, Jonathan Groff, Justin Kirk, David LaChapelle, Willie Garson, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, TR Knight, Steven Pasquale, Christian Campbell and Anthony Heald.