Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a novella by Truman Capote published in 1958, featuring characters and events taking place in 1943. It was adapted as a movie, directed by Blake Edwards and starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. The movie was released in 1962.
Now there is a new adaptation: a stage play, featuring three songs, which is currently playing at the Haymarket Theatre in London’s West End.
The plot of the play is based on Truman Capote’s novella, rather than the movie version. This is evidenced by the stronger depiction of the main protagonist – Holly Golightly (played by Pixie Lott) – as a prostitute (of “American Geisha” as Capote called his character); in the movie, this is diluted down quite a bit. There is also the matter of the ending: the movie has a happy ending between Golightly and the other central character Paul; whereas the play follows the novella in having a more ambiguous ending and no getting together of Golightly and the (here) unnamed narrator. This will please admirers of the novella who thought the Audrey Hepburn movie too saccharine.
This doesn’t mean the play is totally divorced from the movie. The play twice has Pixie Lott singing the signature song, Moon River (written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer.) The play also adopts a slightly bizarre version of the character Mr. I. Y. Yunioshi (in the movie the part was controversially played by Mickey Rooney, which brought allegations of racism.)
The play is well put together, with interchangeable scenery and fine performances from the cast. At times the use of small cast fails to create the buzz and bustling of New York, and perhaps greater use of sound effects would have helped; however, the set pieces – bars, cafes, Brooklyn Bridge, apartments, and grainy backdrop of the Empire State Building all help. The use of the lighting is also very good, creating the mood of day and night, and sunlight and New York style rain where needed.
The lead is also very good, with the Golightly character played by Pixie Lott (Victoria Louise Lott), hitherto best known as a singer who has enjoyed two U.K. number one singles. Her debited album Turn It Up (2009) sold over 2 million copies worldwide. With the character, Lott depicts Holly Golightly as charming, vivacious and utterly elusive. There is also a vulnerability to her character.
Lott is also a fine singer, which adds an extra dimension to the songs she plays periodically on acoustic guitar. The songs are intertwined with the narrative: importantly this is a drama, not a musical.
While Lott’s character, and the frequent costume changes, are central, the writer Greenberg, has attempted to beef up the role of Golightly’s friend ‘Fred’. Here there are a number of scenes that are not in the book, included the character’s regular discussions (sometimes with a heavy dose of exposition) with a bartender.
The play is cleverly put together, and takes place over the course of a year. The play is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning Finalist and Tony and Olivier Award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg (known for works like Take Me Out and Three Days of Rain.)
The play also takes into account the social morals of the 1940s, the gulf between the rich and poor, and the backdrop of World War II, balancing humor with gritty social context.
It’s an interesting production. It may disappoint devotees of the frivolous 1960s movie, but for those who enjoyed the source material, and those who like well-acted theater, it makes for an enjoyable two hours, and, in addition to this review, the critical response and social media reception has largely been positive.
