Afraid to say the worst event i have seen in the west end in years. My friend and I went on a night of very bad weather and were disappointed at the interval that the weather was ok and we didn't have a reason to leave! The cast (except James D) are average at best, accents all over the place. The pace of the show is jarring and the set lazy. Need to watch the film again quickly to fall back in love with Holly. - UBA 76
06 Jan 10
this was a slick, modern version of the book, not the film. and what a blessed relief that was. anna friel was brilliant. she came across as a "sally bowles" kind of girl; vulnerable, loveable, energetic and continually searching for happiness. the set could have been more glitzy to show off manhattan but the fire escapes were well used to help set the scene for the intertwined relationships with the people living in the flats. if you are expecting a sugar-sweet hepburn adaptation, then don't go. if you're a fan of capote's novella you will be pleased. - john
04 Jan 10
The worst production I have EVER seen in London.. I can only guess at the amount of money Haymarket theatre must have been paid to put their name to this show! Can't believe not one of the characters could act and even less could they do an American accent!! It was like being at a very bad acting school, watching their first performance go badly wrong. Didn't they have training? Didn't the director notice?! I'm still in disbelief and am going to write to Haymarket theatre to ask for my money back! - Clara
04 Jan 10
I thought this was awful. I sat the whole way through and wish I hadn't. William was soooooooooooo painful to watch, his voice was so irritating and he kept shouting and if I was Anna Friel acting with him I would have slapped him! He had no connection with the words he was saying, just shouting and speaking really fast. How does she act with him night after night? I was bored and so were the rest of the people I was with. What a waste of money. Anna Friel was ok, she has no grace though and can't walk in heels or maybe she is putting that on? but her acting was the best of the bunch. I was really looking forward to it and was totally disappointed. - Francesca
03 Jan 10
By the end of the first part I was about to leave and my friend was asleep!One scene of screaming and running was followed by another!Really did not like this modern twist of nudity and drugs.It's not about Audry Hepburn being gorgeous in the film, it's about lack of any charm in the performance. BORING and Worst so far - Juli
23 Dec 09
confusing, disappointing but then I had not read that it had nothing to do with the film of that title... silly me - Josie H
22 Dec 09
Whilst not as truly awful as some have made out, this latest screen to stage adaptation is disappointing. It's difficult to know who to blame: Samuel Adamson for a clumsy and episodic script; Anthony Ward's appalling set which in no way represents the glamour of Manhattan, or Sean Mathias for presiding over the whole thing and allowing most of the cast to shout at each other all the time and be upstaged by a cat. The one saving grace is Anna Friel who somehow rises above all these handicaps to produce an adorably charming Holly Golightly. She leaves you in no doubt about her true profession, her hicksville roots and the abuse she seems to have suffered but has survived triumphantly and it's easy to see why everyone falls in love with her. Joseph Cross has some decent moments but it's Anna Friel who just about makes sitting through this worthwhile. Two final questions: what was James Dreyfus thinking when he agreed to take on such an unrewarding role and after Mathias claimed he couldn't consider Breakfast at Tiffanys without it - what the hell happened to Moon River? - David Baxter
09 Dec 09
Loved it! Gritty, moving and beautifully acted by Anna Friel. Some great cameo moments too... the quick-changing actress in the party scene and the cat were perfect. Seen it twice now.. worth every penny. How can you walk out after 30 minutes and then comment on the whole play? - Suzie Brown
15 Nov 09
This was truly awful. Should have left at the intermission. Anna Friel did a good job, but overall it was very poor. The audience was stunned into silence, there was no humour at all in this piece. Also, seeing a guy naked at stage was really not that interesting. Anna was naked too, but even that did not make things more appealing. Definitely not recommended. - Walter de Bruijn
10 Nov 09
Having never seen the film or read the book, I can only comment on the stage show. Which I thought was pretty good. Not excellent, but entertaining enough. Could have done with a bit more glitz and glamour maybe but there were some good performance and Anna Friel shone. - Sarah
26 Oct 09
Very disappointing. After seeing Anna Friel in 'The Street' my wife and I were really looking forward to this production but it was dull, dull, dull. The first West End play we have left during an intermission. On the positive side though..... You can get a table at a good restaurant at that time!! - Mike Kitson
13 Oct 09
I saw one of the previews and was bored. If I was brave enough to leave at the interval I would have done as others had.
It was very disappointing - margaret
10 Oct 09
This play started and finished without having much of an impact. At intermission I thought to myself, "Why am I watching this?" It played out in front of me and at the end of it all I took away 2 thoughts - 1. amazement at how tall that supporting actress was and B. how Anna Friel did a really good job. Oh, and it's always nice to see a bit of full-frontal male nudity on stage. But overall the show was very uninspiring. Never seen the movie and am now unlikely to track it down. I've got better things to do with my time on planet earth. - David
08 Oct 09
Well it seems that many of the reviews here are probably making it up - pay £50 and then leave 30 minutes into the show? I very much doubt it - more likely these are Hepburn fans who cant stand the thought of someone doing a more relaistic portrayal of Capote's character - and having seen the show I can confirm Anna Friel absolutely shines with a stunning portrayal of Holly. The film is good (although sanitised beyond belief) but the play is griity, fast-paced, interesting and flows very well. It is easy to understand (if you have an IQ in double figures), so no idea what those other theatre-snobs are harping on about... The play and acting are fantastic if you go to be entertained - if you go to compare a 40 year old sanatised "Hollywood" movie against this real interpretation of the novella then you may as well stay at home - but if you have an open mind and want to see how Capote had wished his story to be told, then this is a great night out.... - D
04 Oct 09
DIRE!!!! - Jacob
01 Oct 09
I knew nothing of the book or film so could take the play on its own merits but I'm afraid the result was not good. I just felt it was so unengaging, awkward and clunky. I love Anna Friel as an actress but I do think she could have chosen something more wisely. A real shame. - Martin B
30 Sep 09
I totally agree with John's review. If you are going to see this expecting the film version you'll be disappointed, and the mixed reviews reflect that. I was totally entertained, Anna Friel was excellent with a strong supporting cast. Its light, its moves along well and its a good night's entertainment. This is no clunker - I've seen Tracy Shaw in the Blue Room,Michelle Collins in Deception, and Jerry Hall in Benchmark, try sitting through those and you'll get a new understanding of Awful. - Helen
30 Sep 09
I saw Breakfast at Tiffany's last night (press night). I left after 30 minutes, I could not have waited until the intermission. I was cringing at the whole performance. I was very disappointed at this production. I would not recommend seeing this unless you like cringing at theatre productions. - hay
30 Sep 09
Thankyou Mr Coveney for being honest about this insult to the west end and the beautiful Haymarket. Charles Spencer's review today shocked me at first, until I realised they seem to have some tie-in with promoting the show. So boring, so leaden, so lacking in drive or drama. Avoid. - David Bryden
30 Sep 09
I knew this would happen!!
Firstly all those fans of the film are going to be disappointed... it doesn't have the great Audrey Hepburn in it and It doesn't have the wishy washy 'made for America' love ending, but it also doesn't have the terrible racial stereotype Mr. Yunioshi played by a yellowed-up Mickey Rooney or the incredibly robotic acting of George Peppard.
Anna Friel was great. I personally didn't think her accent slipped too much. And besides her character is meant to be a small town girl who has learnt french to remove her accent, so she's playing someone who is putting an accent on themselves! Joseph Cross was even better. He played the role of 'Fred' with so much more spirit than Peppard.
I'm not one for swearing but liked the fact it truly described her one true "genuine' friend who helped her in prison. As for nudity, Golightly is basically an upper class escort/call girl so to be honest it went with her character.
This was an honest representation/adaptation of Capotes great story and if the 'film critics' weren't out in force I believe this would be getting good reviews. Its honest and sophisticated theatre, not a film with one good actress, a yellow toothy stereotype and robot.
And for others information Anna Friel has been in far more than Brookside... It was 16 years ago for goodness sake! - john
28 Sep 09
This was dire, so disappointing...Anna Friel was good but the rest of the cast faded into the background and had no real purpose. William was actually quite irritating, there was no chemistry and the story line was totally lost. It felt like a true case of style over substance, confirmed by the two totally unnecessary nude scenes! A waste of time, do not go to see this play! - Anna
27 Sep 09
You are all just jealous... She is brill x - Katrina B
23 Sep 09
Very disappointing. A mixture of wooden performances and ham acting. The cat and the guitar playing were awful. Such a shame as I was hoping for a really gritty approach to Capote's novella. It isn't like the film which for me was a positve but that's the show's only good point. Don't waste your money! - Chris
20 Sep 09
im a big fan of both the book and the film but was very dissapointed by the play.there was no energy and no chemistry between the characters,i just didnt care.slightly confused by the fact that all the posters etc had her with dark hair paying homage,almost,to hepburn yet in the play she is an unlikable blonde.was this an after thought???was it meant to be in keeping with capotes choice of actress for the film as they do say its meant to be based on the book not the film. all in all disappointing and confusing - tanya
20 Sep 09
I saw a preview today. I was totally entertained and thought Anna Friel in particular was excellent. After the show I saw Anna Friel talking to friends and she said she felt the performance today was far more snappy. I would love to see it again and I think by press night they will have a winner. No, its not like the film - Thank God - gfscans
19 Sep 09
Very disappointing. So bad we left at the intermission. We have never left a play before but so bad just couldn't stay. Didn't like the set and the play was confusing and muddled. Surprised that Holly was a blond (although she was in the Novella) - Mary
18 Sep 09
Sadly this was the worst play I've seen in the West End. There is nothing endearing about this Holly, no chemistry between the leads and I left at intermission; a first for me. Can I have a refund? - Kris
13 Sep 09
Anna Friel did a good performance I thought, although I would have preferred a brunette and no nudity, unecessary! Stage set & props worked well. - Carol
12 Sep 09
Perfectly dreadful.... very probably the worst production I've seen many years. If you want to see it -- go soon -- it won't be around long. - Terry
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