''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. Merrill was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. His ...
and a book originally by
Abe Burrows but rewritten during pre-
Broadway 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 (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...
. 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 novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...
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 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.
The musical is one of the most notorious fiascos in Broadway history.
William Goldman
William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. Among other accolades, Goldman won two Aca ...
called it a "legendary production" meaning "a certain kind of Broadway show that by virtue of its birth agonies and the resulting publicity achieves an immortality most productions never dare aspire to." (Other examples he gave were ''
Buttrio Square'' and ''
Portofino
Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th centur ...
''.)
Production history

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), whic ...
,
Richard Chamberlain,
Sally Kellerman
Sally Clare Kellerman (June 2, 1937 – February 24, 2022) was an American actress whose acting career spanned 60 years. Her role as List of M*A*S*H characters#Margaret Houlihan, Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in Robert Altman's film ''M*A*S ...
,
Larry Kert and
Priscilla Lopez
Priscilla Lopez is an American singer, dancer, and actress. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Diana Morales in ''A Chorus Line''. She has had the distinction of appearing in two Broadway landmarks: one of its greatest hits, t ...
. 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 productio ...
and choreographed by
Michael Kidd with assistance from
Tony Mordente, and produced by
David Merrick.
[Kenrick, John]
"Breakfast at Tiffany's Record Review"
musicals101.com, retrieved February 20, 2010[Suskin, 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
Abe Burrows 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
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 productio ...
.
[ 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 by ...
. 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 London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...
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 is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in ''Guys and Dolls'' in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations.
Life and career
Prince wa ...
, 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 "Pixie" Lott (born 12 January 1991) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her debut studio album, ''Turn It Up (Pixie Lott album), Turn It Up'' (2009), reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and sold over 1.5 millio ...
, 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
*
{{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