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The other week I went to see Breakfast at Tiffany’s at Leeds Grand Theatre as part of Fraser’s birthday present. Before I start I should point out that within the audience there was a massive variation in response to the piece, some walked out and some loved it, so enjoyment may depend on your expectations and knowledge of the material. It is based more on the book than the film but as I am unfamiliar to either I had no idea what I was going to see. It is also very much a play with a couple of songs rather than a musical which is what many people were expecting.

Pop star Pixie Lott takes on the role of Holly Golightly and though she stumbled over the lines a little at times, she played the haughty character well and her couple of songs were beautifully sung suiting her raspy, soulful voice. Matt Barber was believable as Fred the love-struck but largely overlooked friend who narrates the piece. The other smaller parts were also very good in their roles.

The set and costumes were gritty, extravagant when needed and interesting and really captured the 40s vibe.

While all this sounds very positive, the story was not particularly interesting to me. Nothing really seems to happen, it is just watching a guy chasing a girl who isn’t interested in him in that way. It is a reasonable character study but not a great narrative. I daresay people will disagree with me and say it is artistic but I just didn’t care about what was going on.

If you are a fan of the book, of Pixie Lott or you like artsy theatre/films that focus on interaction rather than plot than this is definitely for you. It was a nice night out and I enjoyed it as a whole but I wouldn’t rush back to see it again- good but not amazing. Also I apologise, this review is about as mixed up and confused as my feeling were for this play.

For further dates, tickets and information visit the website here.

Have you seen Breakfast at Tiffany’s? What did you think? Are you a fan of either the book or the movie?