PHP console script vs C/C++/C#

Hello, I am writing a PHP script for a local application (not web/html based). My script is taking a longer time to execute than I want. The source code is a few thousand lines, so I will spare you all this level of detail. I prefer to write in PHP because that is what I know best. However, I do not think there is anything inherent with my script that requires PHP over C/C++/C#. If I wrote the console application in a c language (and compiled) would one expect to see any improvements in performance? If so, how much improvement could one expect (in general)? I assume because php is not compiled that this real time interpretation of the script by the zend engine must take some time. This is why I am thinking about rewriting my whole script in a C language. But before I begin that ordeal, i wanted to ask the community for their opinions. If you think using a c language would suit me well, what language would you recommend? My google and mail archive searching for this yielded mainly PHP for web apps, so I am asking all of you. My main question is, how much of an improvement in performance will one see by using a compiled version of an application versus using a scripted version of an application? I looked at PHP's bcompiler, but the documentation is minimal so I am hesitant to dig much deeper into that, unless someone strongly suggests otherwise. Thank you PHPeeps, DanK