The world premiere of a stage adaptation of psychological thriller The Silence of the Lambs is coming to UK & Ireland theatres in 2026.
Based on Thomas Harris’s best-selling novel, the book was famously turned into a blockbuster, five-time Oscar-winning movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.
The tour of The Silence of the Lambs starts at Leicester’s Curve theatre on 1 August 2026, and then visits Newcastle, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Salford, Bradford, Oxford, Peterborough, Hull, Belfast, Dublin, Birmingham, Blackpool, Eastbourne, Malvern, Swansea, Chester, Brighton, Tunbridge Wells, York, Coventry, London Richmond, Cheltenham, Bournemouth, Wolverhampton, Cardiff, Buxton, Woking, Liverpool, and Sunderland, with further venues to be announced.
The new stage adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs is written by the award-winning Gina Gionfriddo (House of Cards, Law & Order), and directed by Nikolai Foster (Kinky Boots). Further creatives are to be announced.
When FBI trainee Clarice Starling is sent to interview the psychiatrist and infamous murderer Hannibal Lecter, it’s hoped his brilliant mind will help catch sadistic new serial killer, Buffalo Bill. Another girl is missing, and time is running out. But Dr Lecter has questions of his own, and now Clarice must decide: keep a safe distance, or let Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ into her head?
Audiences are already being warned that the show will contain scenes of threat, violence and murder, strong language, sexual references and harassment, mutilation and body horror, psychological intensity, childhood trauma and onstage prosthetic human remains.
Writer Gina Gionfriddo said in a statement: “Thomas Harris’ novel speaks so eloquently to the interior terrors that fuel his iconic characters – both the monsters and the heroes who slay them. What a privilege it has been to bring these stories to the stage.”
Director Nikolai Foster said: “We’ve long wanted to present a Made at Curve thriller onstage in Leicester, and The Silence of the Lambs is surely the most electrifying and frightening of this genre. At the heart of this play is the remarkable relationship between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter; through their gripping meetings, these two fascinating characters develop a compelling relationship. Harris’ novel is filled with stunning iconography and imagery that is ripe for theatrical invention. We can’t wait to see it burst to life onstage.”
James Lane and Ed McGovern, producers of the show for Indigo Productions and Crossroads Live, said: “We are deeply honoured to have been entrusted with Thomas Harris seminal story and iconic characters. Gina and Nikolai have crafted something truly thrilling for the stage, and we cannot wait to welcome audiences into Hannibal Lecter’s cell to witness it first hand for the very first time.“
The Silence of the Lambs is touring the UK and Ireland from August 2026.
Book tickets to The Silence of the Lambs UK & Ireland tour
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