REVIEW – Breakfast at Tiffany’s (The Lowry)

Pixie Lott in Breakfast at Tiffany’s
© Sean Ebsworth Barnes
Upstaged Rating: 

Holly Golightly has aroused much discussion over the years, from the page of Truman Capote’s Novella to the big screen classic portrayal by Audrey Hepburn in the 1960’s. Now, Breakfast at Tiffany’s comes to The Lowry, Salford and we are transported back to Capote’s original 1940’s New York setting.

Pop star Pixie Lott steps into Audrey Hepburn’s ‘Givenchy’ shoes as the charming Holly Golightly. With authentic design by Matthew Wright, Lott certainly looks the part in her fabulous vintage wardrobe and super-sparkly diamonds – however, this is certainly an ambitious role for her first stage show.

Capote’s novella has been adapted for the stage by Olivier Award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg and revolves very much around the on-off romance between Holly and struggling young writer Fred (Matt Barber). Besotted and fascinated by the extroverted and effervescent Holly, Fred tells the story from his perspective and acts as narrator. Matt Barber puts in a brilliant performance, leading the audience through an array of emotions following his infatuation with Holly Golightly.

© Sean Ebsworth Barnes
Under Nikolai Foster’s direction, Robert Calvert puts in a sturdy performance as Golightly’s estranged husband Doc towards the end of Act One which just keeps us ticking over to Act Two. However, many of the other characters feel slightly underdeveloped, giving us little chance to really understand them. The balance on stage does seem a little skewed when a beautiful fluffy white cat (Bob The Cat) steals the stage from the main action.

Ben Cracknell’s vivid lighting design teamed with Matthew Wright’s authentic set and costume design is a real highlight and really gives the live performance a filmic edge.

Now, all the pre-show talk has been about Pixie Lott taking on the iconic role of Holly Golightly – there really is no doubt that she can sing. Strumming her acoustic guitar she performs 3 live songs, most notably ‘Moon River’ and she is soulful, engaging and unique.

This production of Breakfast at Tiffany’s is certainly a gem but is regrettably lacking the clarity and cut of a real Tiffany diamond.

-Kristy Stott

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is at The Lowry until Saturday 16th April 2016 and you can get your tickets here.