Breakfast at Tiffany’s at the Lyceum Theatre Sheffield Review
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
18-22 October 2016
Reviewed by Katy Nettleton
What they say…
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is being given a new lease of life as a stage play with music in a sparkling, sophisticated production starring Georgia May Foote (Strictly Come Dancing, Coronation Street) as Holly.
Adapted by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony and Olivier Award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg and directed by Nikolai Foster, this tale of vivacious, good-time girl Holly Golightly and her fantastical existence in 1940s New York City is told through the eyes of a young writer, completely fascinated by this exquisite extrovert who every woman wants to be, and every man wants to be with.
What I say…
Having seen this advertised and it being a childhood memory and the first time I had seen Audrey Hepburn in a play, I was eager to go and watch. However, sadly this didn’t live up to my expectations. Maybe I was expecting too much, but the story was broadly the same as the “original” but the strong characters did not enlighten and engage with me. Holly Golightly (played by Georgia May Foote) did not try and re-enact the original (I doubt anyone could portray the character better than Audrey Hepburn) and tried to make the lead character her own, which I was relieved about. However, sadly I don’t think no matter how good her acting was it could overcome the dreary monologue, it was quite hard going on both on my ears and eyes. You could hear everything but with dark lighting it meant it was hard to concentrate and often I felt like the characters were talking over one another.
I did think that the stage set was brilliant, and portrayed the image and I personally loved the use of the 3 different doors and the bar! The way in which the stage crew worked between scenes was brilliant and ensured that (although hard-going) the story continued to be told.
I don’t want to sound too negative and I genuinely do think that the performers (Matt Barber as Fred Georgia May Foote as Holly Golightly and Victor McGuire (who played Joe) portrayed the leads well. But even with the best acting, this show could not be brought alive. I was personally impressed with Georgia’s voice, but as she only sang 2 songs it was hard to truly get the feel for the character – personally I would have liked to hear more of her voice and the play to have more of a musical edge (to breakdown the long dialogues etc.).
Overall, I think the staging was good and all the actors and actresses portrayed the characters well, but it is the writing of the script and use of music which let this play down. I do not think I am alone in this view, with many people commenting the highlight was the “cat” and also the empty seats in the second half.
Overall I would give this a 1 out of 5, sadly.
Rating: 1/5
Tickets cost from £26 to £34 (booking fees may apply).
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is at the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield until 22 October 2016. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0114 249 6000.
Lyceum Theatre, Norfolk St, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1 1DA | 0114 249 6000
