“Silence!” may not always be golden, but it’s one of the craziest musicals you’re likely to see.

“Silence!” The Musical,” in its Lehigh Valley premiere through Oct. 31, Theatre514, Civic Theatre of Allentown, deserves its exclamation point.

It’s lewd, rude and crude. It’s also very funny. Think “The Rocky Horror Show.” Then, think again.

Performances by a terrific cast, directed and choreographed (with great glee) by Civic Theatre of Allentown Artistic Director William Sanders, with Assistant Director Melisa Klausner-Miller, propel the pell mell show at the pace of a hellzapoppin’ variety revue, with a loosely-devised plot that parodies the Academy Award-winning film, ”The Silence of the Lambs” (1991). The movie is not only the butt of the jokes. Everything and everybody has a turn in the merry mayhem.

“Silence!” The Musical,” with book by Hunter Bell and music and lyrics by Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan, brings the familiar characters from the screen to the stage, including Clarice Starling (Deena Linn), the FBI agent tasked with finding serial killer, Buffalo Bill (Jason Roth), by way of interviewing the incarcerated Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mike Daniels), who likes “a nice Chianti” with you know what.

Into this macabre mix is added Catherine-Senator Martin (Audrey Lasicki), Ardelia (Juanita Renay), Chilton (Mason McGowan), Crawford-Papa Starling (Todd Rizzuto) and the Lambs (Nina Elias Ace, Ryan Doncsecz, Kate Pistone and Jason Daniel Sizemore). Be still, my bleating hearts.

The Lambs are, literally, lambs with floppy ears, portrayed in all their bleatin’ glory by the quartet, which is a clever theatrical conceit on the playwrights’ part to bring choral work, which is quite impressive in the Civic production, to the fore. The songs that they and others in the cast sing, we can’t really say because the titles and scenes are not listed in the program. We looked up the titles on the internet and, suffice it to say, most of the titles cannot be repeated in a polite publication.

The opening song, “Silence!,” and its reprise at the end, is beautiful to behold. The actors’ voices fill the black-box theater, sold out opening night, Oct. 22 (seen for this review). Proof of vaccination is required, as are face masks for theater-goers.

“Silence!” is the first show in Theatre514 in nearly two years because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shutdown. “Who’s Holiday!” was the last stage show presented in Theatre514 in December 2019.

There’s a lot of screaming and shouting and running around in “Silence!,” and that’s kind of the ironic point of the whole shebang. “Silence!,” which is recommended for mature audiences, is nothing if not immature.

The “Silence Band” of Neil Chaban, Music Direction, keyboard, and Matt Wells, drums, with Sound Designer Randall Utsch, keep the pace uninterrupted in the approximate 90-minute performance (with no intermission).

Deena Linn is absolutely hilarious in the lead role. She gets the accent perfectly in “Thish Ish It,” sung with gusto by Linn as Clarice; Rizzuto as Crawford, and the Ensemble.

Other highlights among the 17 songs that can be mentioned here include “Are You About a Size 14?,” by Roth as Buffalo Bill; Lasicki as Catherine, and the Ensemble; “Quid Pro Quo,” by Daniels as Lecter and Linn as Clarice, and a show stopper, “Catherine Dies Today,” with Rehay as Ardelia; Linn as Clarice; Roth as Bill, and the Ensemble.

Scenic Designer Sam Roff judiciously uses sliding panels, working with Scenic Artist Jan Joyce, and Propmaster Jason Daniel Sizemore, to fill in the scene location changes that unfold seamlessly.

Costume Designer Will Morris has found a variety of kitschy blazers, retro-hippie attire (for Buffalo Bill) and business suits (for Clarice) that, combined with the creations of Hair-Wig Designer Kim Danish, add to the madcap fun.

Lighting Designer Will Morris provides some spooky fun with startling changes throughout.

“Silence!” The Musical” brings the sensibilities of the off-Broadway avant garde to Allentown’s West End Theatre District. I couldn’t help thinking of productions over the years at the former Theatre Outlet.

There’s a place and a need for edgy theater in the Lehigh Valley. Here’s hoping shows like “Silence!” will be heard again at Civic.

“Silence! The Musical,” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28; 7:30 p.m., 11 p.m. Oct. 30; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31, Theatre514, 514 N. 19h St., Allentown. Box Office: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday - Friday; http://www.civictheatre.com; 610-432-8943