John Partridge, known for his long-running role as Christian Clarke in BBC 1’s EastEnders and extensive range of West End credits, will don the iconic mask as the refined and sadistic Dr Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, coming to the Midlands in 2027.

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 the 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?

Acclaimed television writer and playwright Gina Gionfriddo brings Thomas Harris’s gripping literary masterpiece to the stage in a new modern adaptation directed by Curve’s Artistic Director, Nikolai Foster. Gionfriddo’s theatrical adaptation delves into the psychological tension of Thomas Harris’s landmark novel, drawing the audience deep into Clarice and Lecter’s intelligent, intricate, and bone-chilling game of cat-and-mouse, as the FBI scramble to catch Buffalo Bill, a serial killer still at large.

Full creative team and further casting to be announced.

The Silence of the Lambs shows at The Alexandra, Birmingham from Tuesday 5 - Saturday 9 January 2027; The Belgrade, Coventry Tuesday 30 March to Saturday 3 April 2027; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Monday 26 April – Saturday 1 May 2027