THE theatrical adaptation of the well know novella, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, arrived in The Lowry Theatre in Salford last night. Our entertainment reporter, Abi White, was there to see what the evening had to offer…
Starring Pixie Lott as the character of Holly Golightly, the 25-year-old from Essex began her music career at the young age of 15. By 2009, she had released her multi-platinum status debut album, featuring the popular hits, ‘All About Tonight’ and ‘Mama Do (Uh Oh)’.
Now turning her hand to theatre for Richard Greenberg’s adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the singer stars alongside a wonderfully talented cast in the performance at The Lowry Theatre until April 16.
@PixieLott saw you last night at the @The_Lowry you were all amazing you sang moonriver so beautifully loved it ? pic.twitter.com/Jloog00m4e
— Carol Johnson (@cazatmacs) April 13, 2016
Although the script differs from the film adaptation, Greenberg manages to portray Truman Capote’s classic novella of an un-named writer (who everyone calls Fred) and an enigmatic New York girl, Golightly. This adaptation reflects the original setting of the 1940’s New York, as opposed to the glamorous 1960’s, which is portrayed in the film adaptation.
In this production, the men are at war and the ones unfit are left behind in a world that had recently gone through the great depression of the 1930’s. Fred, unfit to go to war due to his asthma, lives upstairs above Holly and struggles with his writing career, where as Holly who lives downstairs lives off her looks and middle-aged suitors.
The set is ever changing, but constantly reverts back to the two New York apartments of the two main characters. The set is very well designed, with props and set design being extremely relevant to the era. The changing costumes of Golightly are also noticeable, with beautiful outfits, again, very fitting with the era.
This adaptation certainly centres on Holly and Fred, with the rest of the cast given much smaller roles. ‘Fred,’ played by Matt Barber, then narrates the story and makes the adaptation a whole lot more understandable for those in the audience who were unfamiliar with the novella and the film adaptation- bringing the piece together.
Despite the performance being based around Holly and Fred, two of the characters with smaller parts were particularly memorable. The comedic role of Madame Spanella, played by Melanie La Barrie added a dash of humour to the performance, whilst Bob the cat delivered an outstanding performance. He was an impeccably well-behaved cat, was absolutely adorable and became a memorable part of the production.
As far as the role of Golightly goes, Lott was brave to take on the character of the naïve, yet adventurous and mysterious character. With the performance of Audrey Hepburn to live up to, Lott certainly had the pressure on her shoulders…
However, Lott did not disappoint and was perfectly cast for the role. She added emotion, humour and class to her performance, and also performed solo acoustic numbers teamed with her distinctively soulful voice. Whilst there is no big production of the song, in the case of this production, less is definitely more.
@AmyStutz @The_Lowry @tiffanysonstage @PixieLott I’m not in the least bit surprised by this wonderful review, well done Pixie and cast ???
— Michael Faulkner (@mikerainham) April 13, 2016
Including the iconic song ‘Moon River’ amongst the small handful of songs, it was almost a shame that the adaptation didn’t provide more opportunities for Lott to display her singing abilities.
The adaptation as a whole shows promise, and would appeal to avid theatregoers and fans of both the novella and the film adaptation. Although sometimes difficult to follow, it really is a blast to the past, and every character, despite having smaller roles; holds a meaningful place to carry the story.
By Abigail White
@abigailwhiteuos
Photo credit to Sean Ebsworth Barnes
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