Civic Theater of Allentown has made it clear in their marketing that their production of Truman Capote's "Breakfast At Tiffany's" is not based on the 1961 film directed by Blake Edwards. Adapted for the stage by Richard Greenberg, the play is closer to the 1958 novella written by Capote and retains elements of the book which were changed for the movie.
The play begins in Manhattan in a 1957 bar and takes the audience back to a brownstone in 1943 where "Fred" (as he is nicknamed by Holly) shares with us his memories about his friendship the mysterious and somewhat calculating Holly Golightly.
One detail fans of the novella may appreciate is the portrayal of Holly as a blonde (as depicted in the book) rather than the brunette Audrey Hepburn from the film. Capote had wanted Marilyn Monroe to play the character when he sold the film rights but Monroe turned it down to perform in John Huston's The Misfits instead.
The production at Civic is a sumptuous feast in almost every detail. The acting is as solid as you will ever see. The set is like a sketch from within the mind of Truman Capote himself and the lighting sets moods perfectly most of the time. The costumes are period perfect and a lovely selection of music from that era envelopes the show at all the right moments “ and since this is based on the novella and not the film you won't hear a single note of Henry Mancini's "Moon River."
"Fred" is portrayed by Will Morris who does an amazing impression of Truman Capote when he "narrates" the story from 1957. He goes from a brazen, almost lounge-like quality while addressing the audience to the more reserved "Fred" who seems constantly at his wit's end by the antics of everyone around him “ especially his friend Holly. Their relationship is a tumultuous one and Morris does a fine job of playing the part believably and with a perfect mix of sarcasm and empathy.
If one is familiar with Truman Capote it is amusing how Morris “ a tall and imposing man “ is the physical opposite of Capote (who only stood five foot, three inches). Of course, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman had the same problem while filming the 2005 film "Capote" only it was much easier to "hide" his stature on film than it is on stage. A minor detail, but an amusing bit of trivia to keep in mind while watching Mr. Morris channel Mr. Capote on stage.
Kendal Conrad portrays Holly “ and this had to be no small challenge for this fine actress. The character from the novel is, obviously, not the character who appeared in the film. Audrey Hepburn's "Holly" was light while this incarnation is darker and far more broken. There are so many different emotions which need to be conveyed “ at times one immediately following another “ but Ms. Conrad handles this with ease. She portrays the character as strong and determined but there is always a hint of her fragile state in her smile or the way she delivers a line.
The character of Holly from the novel is not a very likeable person and the challenge of making the audience feel a connection to her is handled quite well by Conrad. She plays the role with a whimsical, devil-may-care attitude that is energized and as diverse as the emotions Holly must confront during the course of the play. It truly is a brilliant performance.
The rest of the cast tackle the challenge of each portraying four (or more) different characters during the course of the show and they all do this splendidly. One problem any production faces with actors portraying multiple roles is having the actor distinguish him-or-herself as completely unique individuals and the cast in "Breakfast At Tiffany's" accomplishes this successfully. There are no stand-outs “ everyone is great in all the roles they convey “ but there are still some characters who did leap out from the rest of the "crowd."
Kelly Suarez shines as the brazen and drunk "Mag Wildwood" and “ like her character “ ensures that that all eyes are focused on her whenever she is on stage. She also portrays Mr. Yunioshi (infamously portrayed in the movie by Mickey Rooney) and fortunately does the role more subdued and soft-spoken.
Goran Zdravkovic is especially impressive as O.J. Berman who thankfully does not play his role with the "sleaze" that would normally be associated with a 1940's Hollywood persona. John Kuchar plays "Doc" in a humble and gentle manner with an innocence that obviously has no place in Holly's new life. His understated acting conveys his confusion and simplistic nature without "Doc" losing the sympathy he deserves from the audience.
Mark Boyer's "Rusty Trawler" hints at Jackie Gleason with such a force that other actors are wise to keep a few paces away or they might get hurt by his larger than life gestures and non-stop energy. Is it over the top' A little “ but then so was Jackie Gleason which makes Boyer's performance so much fun to watch.
There is a surprisingly engaging performance by Daniel Eli Becker as "cat" - while it's not possible to ignore the fact that Becker is on stage while performing this puppetry he does a skillful job of creating a "life like" personality in the little cat Holly has taken it but "does not own." His human roles are also good “ but when he is on stage as "cat" the two of them need to be paid attention to. There are some amusing moments they try to bring to the show which were sadly ignored by the audience on the night of our performance.
Finally, I found myself most intrigued by Jerry Schmidt “ not in his performance as the bombastic "Madame Spanella" (which is wonderfully flamboyant) but in the smaller role as "editor." Not to spoil anything but this role hides something which is only hinted at but never revealed and Schmidt “ through nothing more than glances and gestures “ conveys more in this role with silence than if he had been given a monologue. His "Madame Spanella" is vibrant and fun but it was as the "editor" where his talent could truly be seen.
The set designed by Marilyn Loose and Will Morris is, as stated earlier, like a trip inside the mind of the author. It is simple but also richly detailed. Boxes are used as everything from beds to sofas to the 1957 bar. Doors and windows slide on to create the illusion of Holly and Fred's apartments. Set changes are handled quite efficiently, most of them during the narrative from 1957. There are also several instances of the word "FRAGILE" printed on boxes on the stage “ possibly a warning to the mental state of some of the characters on stage.
Lighting by Will Morris is shadowy and almost "film noir" (if you're able to imagine everything in black and white). There were a few moments where actors are cast in shadow which is done effectively but there are other times where it felt as if the actor just wasn't properly lit (mostly Mr. Yunioshi). For the majority of the show, however, the lighting sets the mood perfectly. Add to this the music, instrumental pieces as well as songs from the forties, and the mood is effectively set for everyone.
Costume design by Will Morris and Nina Reilly is as precise as you could hope for in a piece set in the nineteen-forties. They knew how to dress both the men and the woman for the period (showing off curves on the girls and never having the boys without a jacket or hat). I presume it was challenging to dress Ms. Suarez as Mr. Yunioshi or Mr. Schmidt as Madame Spanella but both are done convincingly.
William Sanders direction for this production is finely tuned and he is able to bring out a brilliance from the story. There is a sense of a gentle and caring hand in his crafting of everything on stage for the story which he states in his director's notes that he is "a big fan of." Ironically, I am a big fan of reading the director's notes found in the playbill which I fear most people do not take the time to peruse. This is one that is definitely worth the read prior to the show as Mr. Sander's gives a wonderfully insightful look at the book versus the film as well as why the stage play is so drastically different from the movie.
His hope is that the production "reflects Holly and Fred moving to New York and New York rewarding them or discarding them." He can rest assured that his production truly conveys this and also that the show at Civic is full of the "shadows and terrors" from the novella.
As stated, this show is a sumptuous feast in every aspect “ except one. And sadly, the one part of this "feast" that is a bit dry and tasteless is the script itself. It is a long (the show runs nearly two-and-a-half hours) and verbose piece that suffers from too much telling. At times it runs more like a live-action audiobook of "Breakfast At Tiffany's" rather than a play. That's not to say that the words aren't well written “ Truman Capote was certainly no slouch when it came to his use of vocabulary “ but the show appears to suffer from too much "explaining." Every moment when the story appears to be giving us the story we want to see it reverts back to the narrative form.
This is especially prevalent in the second act where everything attempts to get wrapped up quickly with not enough time spent on revelations or conclusions, almost as if the playwright felt "now this has to happen and now this has to happen" and the actors seem to fast forward through scenes which might have benefited from a bit more time spent in silence. Perhaps trimming act one might have allowed for the emotional denouement in act two but I don't fault the production at Civic. It felt as if the script demanded they move quickly from one scene to the next.
As one audience member commented, the show is structured similarly to Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" with a narrative and flashback technique being employed but, perhaps, this was done more effectively in "Menagerie" than in "Breakfast At Tiffany's."
Fans of the novella will enjoy the adaptation, and fortunately the assemblage of talent on and off the stage at Civic bring a top-notch performance to this slightly vapid play.
"Breakfast At Tiffany's" runs May 1 to 16 with performances at 7:30 pm Thursday through Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm. For specific show dates and tickets call 610-432-8943 or visit http://www.civictheatre.com.