John Partridge interview: sink your teeth into thrilling stage production

Inhabiting the legendary Lecter is John Partridge, star of stage and screen. After training at the Royal Ballet Lower School, he joined the original UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats, and his numerous theatre shows since have included Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, A Chorus Line, Grease, Starlight Express, Cabaret, and Tommy. Partridge is also well known to audiences for playing Christian Clarke on EastEnders.

He now stars as Lecter opposite Mollie Gallagher (Coronation Street) as Clarice Starling in the psychological thriller directed by Curve’s artistic director Nikolai Foster (Kinky Boots) and adapted by the Pulitzer Prize finalist playwright and screenwriter Gina Gionfriddo (Becky Shaw, Law & Order).

What did you think when you heard The Silence of the Lambs was coming to the stage?

John Partridge: When I first heard about it being put on, I thought, “Ooh, that would be fantastic!” Ahead of my audition, they very kindly sent me the script and told me to pick two scenes, so I said to my good friend [actress] Tamzin Outhwaite, “I need you to read with me”, and when she found out what it was, she said, “Oh my god!” I feel very lucky this has come my way.

The Silence of the Lambs UK and Ireland Tour Dates 

Is it intimidating to take on Hannibal Lecter?

Partridge: I did wonder, “How do you do something that is so ingrained in pop culture?” I’m a child of the 70s, so when the film came out in 1991, I was one of those core Silence viewers. It lives in our zeitgeist. Then I read about Anthony Hopkins choosing three quite surprising inspirations for Lecter: Truman Capote, Katharine Hepburn, and the computer HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

That really gave me the freedom to do my own version of that process. My three are Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, and John Malkovich. Lecter is intelligent, mocking and acerbic, but also serious and malevolent. Now, I try to forget any other version of Lecter and just put myself firmly in that cell.

Does it feel like an unexpected character for you?

Partridge: I think these roles often come along when you least expect them. That’s definitely true for me. I recently emigrated to Canada, and a sure way to get a job as an actor is to move 3,000 miles away! But weirdly, it’s helped prepare me for this part.

I feel like I’ve moved my life into a very different direction personally, and now I’ve got a very different opportunity professionally too.

What are you most excited to play?

Partridge: I was slightly panicking about the fava beans and chianti line, because how do you top that iconic version, but it’s not in our play, thankfully! Already, though, if I had a pound for every person who’s come up to me and done that line, I’d be a rich man! But there are plenty of other iconic set-pieces that people will recognise in our show.

I’m most excited about doing the part where Lecter is in the cell and he attacks the guards. I shouldn’t say I’m looking forward to ripping people’s faces off, but you know what I mean!

“I love all the stunts, getting stuck into those shocking moments of sudden, dynamic physicality. Our production is very visual and striking.”

John Partridge 

How does Lecter and Clarice’s dynamic translate to stage?

Partridge: It’s inherently theatrical. It’s like a dance: I invite her to dance with me. I love Mollie – she’s a good northern lass. We’ve got similar backgrounds, and we’re both instinctual actors. I didn’t go to drama school, and this is her first piece of theatre. I think that’s what makes our relationship on stage really fresh. It’s a very different dynamic from Anthony and Jodie [Foster]. We’ve also got a natural rapport. We’ve developed this tight tennis match between us, and hopefully, audiences will love seeing us try to score points off each other every night.

Gina [Gionfriddo] has written a brilliant script. She’s managed to weave her words in with Thomas Harris so seamlessly – it as if Buffalo Bill has stitched it together himself! That gives us so much to play with. It’s a genuinely gripping thriller – you need to know what’s coming next. We use all these theatrical tricks to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Do you think audiences who love thrillers and true crime will be tempted by this one?

Partridge: I really hope so. It’s a cracking thriller. If that’s your thing, if that’s what you watch on television or listen to on podcasts, if you’re a true crime buff and you’re interested in the darker side of human psychology, then this is for you.

It feels like thrillers are really taking off in the theatre right now, with shows like Paranormal Activity and Single White Female. There’s a real appetite for them. Silence is the godfather of them all – the holy grail of psychological thrillers. There’s nothing like it.

Where are you most looking forward to visiting on tour?

Partridge: I’m a Manchester boy, so I always love going home to the Lowry. I’ve got Scottish heritage too, my dad’s from Glasgow, and my mum’s from Dublin, so I always like to go back to the motherland and the fatherland.

With this tour, I get to do Manchester, Scotland and Ireland, so that makes me a very happy Hannibal.