''Breakfast at Tiffany's'' is a musical with music and lyrics by

Bob Merrill Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. He wrote ...

and a book originally by

Abe Burrows Abe Burrows (born Abram Solman Borowitz; December 18, 1910 – May 17, 1985) was an American humorist, author, and director for radio and the stage. He won a Tony Award and was selected for two Pulitzer Prizes, only one of which was awarded. Ear ...

but rewritten during pre-

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

tryouts by

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as '' The Zoo Story'' (1958), '' The Sandbox'' (1959), '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), '' A Delicate Balance'' (196 ...

. It is based on the 1958

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) fact ...

and 1961 film of the same name about a free spirit named Holly Golightly. After tryouts in Philadelphia and Boston, and only four previews on Broadway in 1966, the show was closed by producer

David Merrick David Merrick (born David Lee Margoulis; November 27, 1911 – April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who won a number of Tony Awards. Life and career Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick gra ...

at a total financial loss. Its only revival was a staged concert in 2013 at a 200-seat venue in London. A studio recording was released in 2001.

Production history

Mary Tyler Moore Richard Chamberlain Holly Golightly musical 1966

The original cast included

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), whi ...

, Richard Chamberlain, Sally Kellerman, Larry Kert and Priscilla Lopez. The production was designed by Oliver Smith, directed by

Joseph Anthony Joseph Anthony (born Joseph Deuster; May 24, 1912 – January 20, 1993) was an American playwright, actor, and director. He made his film acting debut in the 1934 film ''Hat, Coat, and Glove'' and his theatrical acting debut in a 1935 producti ...

and choreographed by

Michael Kidd Michael Kidd (August 12, 1915 – December 23, 2007) was an American film and stage choreographer, dancer and actor, whose career spanned five decades, and staged some of the leading Broadway and film musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Kidd, stron ...

with assistance from

Tony Mordente Tony Mordente (born December 3, 1935) is an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and television director. Career Born in New York City, Mordente attended the High School of Performing Arts and made his professional dance debut at the Jacob ...

, and produced by

.Kenrick, John
"Breakfast at Tiffany's Record Review"
musicals101.com, retrieved February 20, 2010Suskin, Steven. ''Second Act Trouble'' (2006), "Why Holly Went Badly", by Lewis Funke, Hal Leonard Corporation, , pp. 51–54 Despite the impressive list of collaborators, the project never gelled. It underwent constant and massive changes in its script and score during out-of-town tryouts. The original book by

was seen in Philadelphia, then scrapped completely, and Edward Albee, an unlikely choice, was hired to re-write before a Boston tryout. Burrows was the original director but left when Albee was brought in. He was replaced by

. On a daily basis, the cast was given new material hours before curtain time, and the piece was overly long, running nearly four hours. Burrows's departure resulted in low morale among cast members, and Moore was convinced that Merrick planned to fire her soon after opening night.Matthews, Robert
"Holly come lately - can Anna match Audrey?"
''The Independent'', June 1, 2009 Its original title, ''Holly Golightly'', was changed when it started previews on December 12, 1966, on Broadway at the

Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to: Australia * Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished * Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed ...

. Despite a healthy advance sale and much audience anticipation, it closed four nights later without having officially opened. Merrick placed an infamous ad in ''The New York Times'', announcing that he shut down the production "rather than subject the drama critics and the public to an excruciatingly boring evening." In 2013, the musical was revived for the first time, using Burrows's book, under the title ''Holly Golightly'', at the 200-seat Lilian Baylis Studio at

Sadler's Wells Theatre Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-sea ...

in London, as part of Ian Marshall Fisher's "Lost Musicals" staged concert series. One reviewer wrote: "the show never seems to come alive nd thoughworth excavating out of interest in the form, it is not clear whether it is stageworthy."

Recordings

Before closing, a live recording was made of the musical numbers, excerpts of which eventually were released on LP. In 2001, a studio recording with

Faith Prince Faith Prince (born August 6, 1957) is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award as Best Actress in ''Guys and Dolls'' in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations. Life ...

, John Schneider, Hal Linden, Patrick Cassidy, and original cast member Kellerman was released on the Original Cast label. This recording includes musical numbers that were seen in both the tryouts and in the New York production.

Musical numbers

;Act I * "Holly Golightly" - Jeff * "Breakfast at Tiffany's" - Holly * "When Daddy Comes Home" - Holly * "Freddy Chant" - Holly * "Lament for Ten Men" - Holly and Guests * "Lament for Ten Men" (Reprise) - Holly's Guests * "Home for Wayward Girls" - Holly and Mag * "Who Needs Her?" - Jeff * "You've Never Kissed Her" - Doc * "You've Never Kissed Her (Reprise)" - Jeff * "Lulamae" - Doc, Jeff, and Holly ;Act II * "Who Needs Her?" (Reprise) - Holly and Jeff * Dance - Holly and Three Bar Patrons * "Stay With Me" - Carlos * "I'm Not the Girl" - Holly and Jeff * "Grade 'A' Treatment" - Holly and Carlos * "Ciao, Compare" - Giovanni and His Girlfriends * "Breakfast at Tiffany's (Reprise)" - Holly * "Better Together" - Jeff * "Same Mistakes" - Holly * "Holly Golightly" (Reprise) - Jeff

2013 musical adaptation

A new version, based on Capote's novella, titled ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'', was adapted by

Richard Greenberg Richard Greenberg (born February 22, 1958) is an American playwright and television writer known for his subversively humorous depictions of middle-class American life. He has had more than 25 plays premiere on and Off-Broadway in New York City ...

(book) with "songs from the era as well as original music by Grant Olding". According to ''The Telegraph'', "The show has been described as a play with songs." It debuted on Broadway in 2013, then later produced at the Curve Leicester in March 2016, and then toured in the UK and Ireland from 2 May to 11 June 2016, with

Pixie Lott Victoria Louise Lott (born 12 January 1991), better known by her stage name Pixie Lott, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut album, '' Turn It Up'', released in September 2009, reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and sold ov ...

, Emily Atack and Verity Rushworth sharing the role of "Holly Golightly". The show played the West End at the Theatre Royal Haymarket 30 June to 17 September 2016.Cavendish, Dominic
"Pixie Lott ticks all the boxes in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' – review"
''The Telegraph'', 28 July 2016

Notes

References

*Kissel, Howard. ''David Merrick – The Abominable Showman: The Unauthorized Biography'', Applause Books (2000)

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breakfast at Tiffany's 1966 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on films Musicals based on multiple works Musicals based on short fiction Adaptations of works by Truman Capote