The Ballad of Truman Capote is a one-man drama, written and directed by Andrew O’Hagan of Mayflies fame. This show is brought to life in the round at venue 9, theSpace @ Niddry Street.
Patrick Moy stars as the singular character of Truman Capote – an American Novelist best known for Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood. The oral ballad performed is set an hour before his infamous Black and White masquerade ball, with Capote alone in his hotel room, musing about his own life and what it took for him to become a writer.
The performance is accented by the ever-changing lighting. The cold blue lights as he considers his childhood turning softer when he re-enters reality to answer his hotel room phone, only to harshen to red when he reflects on his career as an author.
There is no background music to The Ballad of Truman Capote, meaning that there are short periods of silence in the monologue. The effect of this is that the audience is forced to reflect on Capote’s words alongside him.
Moy’s monologue as Capote is given in a high, childlike tone that resembles the real Capote’s distinct voice. Moy takes advantage of having the audience surrounding him as he’s in constant movement around the space, ensuring to address the whole room with his “swan song”, periodically stopping to make rather intense eye contact with audience members.
The monologue consists of Capote gossiping with the audience, punctuating his observations with sardonic, straightforward quips. It is broken up by Capote regularly pouring himself drinks from his cocktail trolley, and the longer the production goes on, the more erratic Moy’s acting becomes, and the more bitterness his voice is coated with as he continues his musings.
Capote’s reflections on his writing are fascinating, and Moy’s acting is enchanting enough to make his theatre-goers hang onto his every word. The Ballad of Truman Capote is well worth watching, not only does its ironic wit leave audiences laughing, but the topics raised in the monologue will follow its listeners home.
