REVIEW – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS AT THE LOWRY – A DARK & GRIPPING THEATRE TRIP
Our Trip To See The Silence Of The Lambs At The Lowry 🐑
On Tuesday 6th October, Lawrence and I headed to The Lowry for the press night of The Silence of the Lambs.
I had seen the 1991 film before, although it had been a very long time since I'd watched it. I remembered Hannibal Lecter, Clarice Starling and Buffalo Bill, along with some of the most famous moments, but I couldn't remember all the details of the story.
The performance was due to begin at 7:30pm, so Dad picked the children up and then dropped Lawrence and me off opposite the Imperial War Museum North.
From there, we walked across the bridge towards The Lowry, arriving at around 7:05pm.
Once inside, we headed to the press desk in The Lowry bar, where we collected our programme and an envelope containing our tickets and wristbands for drinks during the interval.
After collecting everything, we stopped to take some photos in front of the large The Silence of the Lambs production poster.
We then went to have a look to see if there was any merchandise available for the show.
The Silence Of The Lambs Programme & Merchandise 📖
There wasn't a merchandise stand filled with souvenirs for The Silence of the Lambs. The only item we could find available to buy was the official programme, which cost £6.
We had already been given a programme when we collected our press-night tickets, so there wasn't anything else for us to buy this time.
With our photos taken and programme collected, we headed into the Lyric Theatre to find our seats.
Our Seats & View At The Lowry 🎟️
For this performance, Lawrence and I were seated in Stalls Row M, Seats 32 and 33, entering the auditorium through Door B.
The seats are towards the side of the auditorium, so we had a slightly side-on view of the stage. However, there weren't any parts of the production that we couldn't see and, overall, I thought they were good seats.
There was one issue with my original seat, though.
I initially sat in Seat 32, which was two rows behind one of the wheelchair spaces. On the night we attended, the wheelchair being used in that space was quite large and sat considerably higher than the regular theatre seats.
As I'm only 5ft 2in, I couldn't see over it and quite a large part of my view was blocked.
Luckily, Lawrence is much taller than me, so we swapped seats. I moved across to Seat 33, where my view was fine, while Lawrence was able to see perfectly well from Seat 32.
I wouldn't necessarily avoid Seat 32 because of this. The view would depend on the setup in the wheelchair space ahead and Lawrence had no problem seeing from the seat. However, if you're short like me, it is something worth being aware of.
Once I'd moved into Seat 33, I had a clear view of everything happening on stage and didn't feel that the side-on position caused us to miss anything. I would happily sit in this area again.
The performance was scheduled to begin at 7:30pm, although I think it actually started a few minutes late at around 7:35pm.
Act One lasted approximately 65 minutes, followed by an interval of around 20 minutes.
The second act lasted approximately 60 minutes, with the performance finishing at around 9:55pm.
The Story & My Thoughts 🐑
The Silence of the Lambs follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling, who is sent to interview imprisoned psychiatrist and serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter.
The FBI is trying to catch another serial killer, known as Buffalo Bill, who has been abducting and murdering young women. They hope Lecter's understanding of criminal behaviour may help them identify the killer before he claims another victim.
But Hannibal isn't prepared to simply give Clarice the answers she needs.
Instead, their conversations become a psychological game, with Lecter offering clues in exchange for increasingly personal information about Clarice and her past.
Meanwhile, Buffalo Bill has abducted his latest victim, Catherine Martin, and the race is on to find her before it is too late.
I don't want to go into too much more detail because it would be very easy to give away parts of the story for anyone who hasn't seen the film or read Thomas Harris' novel.
Despite having seen the film, I quickly realised that I couldn't remember nearly as much of the story as I thought I could.
This actually worked in my favour because I became completely caught up in Clarice's investigation. Rather than waiting for scenes I remembered from the film, there were plenty of moments when I genuinely wasn't sure what was going to happen next.
During the interval, Lawrence and I headed back to the main bar and into the press area.
We both chose an orange juice and found somewhere to sit while we compared notes on what we'd thought so far.
We had both really enjoyed the first act and were looking forward to the second.
I remained just as gripped after the interval. As Clarice gets closer to finding Buffalo Bill, the tension continues to build and the different parts of the story begin to come together.
By the end, I had been completely gripped from start to finish.
Set, Lighting, Sound & Performances 🎭
I was really impressed by how well The Silence of the Lambs worked on stage.
The set is huge and imposing, with stone walls, different levels, staircases and corridors creating a suitably dark setting for the story.
One of my favourite parts of the design was Hannibal Lecter's transparent cell.
It moves around the stage as the story changes location, and the transparent walls mean you can watch both Hannibal and Clarice during their conversations even though the cell physically separates them.
I also loved how slick the scene changes were.
Rather than stopping everything while scenery and props are moved around, the changes become part of the action. At times, the way the cast and scenery move around the stage feels almost choreographed, and it keeps the story flowing really well.
The lighting and projections add even more to the atmosphere, with the stage changing from cold greys and blues to much more intense reds and greens.
Sound is also used really effectively to build tension, and there are several sudden loud noises and gunshots along the way.
A few of them definitely made me jump!
Mollie Gallagher and John Partridge were my two favourite performances of the evening.
Mollie Gallagher plays Clarice Starling in what is her professional stage debut, and I thought she was excellent. She gives Clarice plenty of determination while still showing her more vulnerable side, and she confidently leads the production.
John Partridge takes on the iconic role of Hannibal Lecter.
I think one of the biggest challenges with this character is that so many people immediately associate Hannibal with Anthony Hopkins, but I never felt as though Partridge was simply trying to copy what had been done before.
He makes the role his own and is incredibly captivating to watch. Even when Hannibal is confined within his glass cell, he has a strong presence on stage, and his scenes with Mollie Gallagher were some of my favourites.
Sam Jackson is also excellent as Buffalo Bill, switching between appearing relatively ordinary and becoming much more disturbing.
Lottie Amor gives a very strong performance as Catherine Martin, making her fear and desperation feel believable, while Oliver Farnworth provides strong support as FBI Agent Jack Crawford.
Jo Mousley, Jonny Magnanti, Andrew Joshi and Mark Peachey take on numerous other characters throughout the production and also help make those incredibly slick transitions between scenes work so well.
If you'd like to read more about the production itself, you can also read my more theatre-focused five-star review over on All About Theatre.
The Journey Home 🚗
Once the performance finished at around 9:55pm, Lawrence and I made our way out of The Lowry and walked back across the bridge towards the Imperial War Museum North.
Dad was picking us up from the same place where he'd dropped us off earlier in the evening, so we waited there for him to arrive.
While we waited, Lawrence and I carried on talking about the show and what we'd thought of it.
We had both really enjoyed it, so there was plenty to discuss while we waited for Dad.
Once he arrived, he drove us home, bringing another theatre trip to an end.
Final Thoughts On The Silence Of The Lambs At The Lowry ✨
Overall, Lawrence and I both really enjoyed The Silence of the Lambs at The Lowry.
I wasn't sure how a story so closely associated with an iconic film would work on stage, but I thought this production worked incredibly well in its own right.
For me, Mollie Gallagher and John Partridge were particular highlights. Gallagher is excellent as Clarice, while Partridge manages to take such a well-known character as Hannibal Lecter and make the role his own.
I was also really impressed by the way the production looked. Hannibal's glass cell, the imposing set, lighting, projections and incredibly slick scene changes all help create a dark and atmospheric world.
But most importantly, I was completely caught up in the story.
It turns out that having forgotten quite a lot of the film wasn't a bad thing after all!
Dark, atmospheric and utterly gripping – The Silence of the Lambs had me hooked from start to finish.
More Information About The Silence Of The Lambs At The Lowry 📍
The Silence of the Lambs is playing in the Lyric Theatre at The Lowry, Salford, until Saturday 10th October 2026.
Tickets for The Silence of the Lambs at The Lowry are available through The Lowry website, where you can also check the remaining performance times and current availability.
After Salford, The Silence of the Lambs continues its UK and Ireland tour, with further performances currently scheduled into 2027. You can find the remaining tour dates on the show's official website.
The production has an advertised running time of approximately 2 hours 15 minutes including the interval and an age recommendation of 15+. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
The show contains disturbing scenes involving threats, violence and murder, very strong language, depictions of human remains, sexual references, sexual harassment and violence. It also uses flashing lights, haze and loud noises, including gunshots.
If you'd like to read my more theatre-focused review of the production, you can also read my five-star review of The Silence of the Lambs on All About Theatre.
🎥 Watch Our Theatre Trip In The Weekly Vlog
Our trip to see The Silence of the Lambs at The Lowry will also feature in my weekly vlog.
You'll be able to see more from our evening, including our trip to The Lowry, the production poster and our view from Stalls Row M.
I'll add the vlog here once it goes live.
The Silence Of The Lambs At The Lowry – At A Glance 🎭
📍 Venue: The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ
🎭 Theatre: Lyric Theatre
📅 Lowry Run: Tuesday 6th – Saturday 10th October 2026
⏱️ Advertised Runtime: Approx. 2 hours 15 minutes including interval
☕ Interval: Approx. 20 minutes
👤 Age Guidance: 15+. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult
🎭 Genre: Psychological Thriller / Drama
⚠️ Content Guidance: Disturbing scenes involving threats, violence and murder, very strong language, depictions of human remains, sexual references, sexual harassment and violence, flashing lights, haze and loud noises including gunshots
💺 Our Seats: Lyric Theatre Stalls, Row M, Seats 32 & 33
👀 Seat View: Side-on but with a clear view of the production from Seat 33. My original view from Seat 32 was affected by the wheelchair space ahead on the night we attended, although Lawrence, who is much taller than me, could see from the seat without a problem
📖 Programme Available: Yes – £6
🛍️ Merchandise Available: We only saw the official programme available to buy during our visit
🚋 Getting There: The Lowry is in Salford Quays and can be reached by tram, bus or car
🚊 Closest Tram Stops: MediaCityUK and Imperial War Museum
♿ Accessible Performances: BSL-interpreted performance on Thursday 8th October at 7:30pm and an Audio Described performance with Touch Tour on Friday 9th October
🌍 Further Tour Dates: The Silence of the Lambs continues touring the UK and Ireland after Salford, with dates currently scheduled into 2027
🎟️ Booking: Tickets for the remaining Salford performances are available through The Lowry website
🌐 Official Website: Visit the official The Silence of the Lambs website for production information and remaining UK and Ireland tour dates
Our tickets for this performance were kindly gifted for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
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