The St. Louis Muny — the nation's oldest and largest outdoor theatre — will present a new version of the musical July 19-25. Breakfast at Tiffany's, according to a production spokesperson, will feature "a brand-new script adapted from Truman Capote's novel." The original musical, based on the 1961 film of the same name, began previews at Broadway's Majestic Theatre Dec. 12, 1966. Producer David Merrick closed the show before its official opening. The musical featured a score by Bob Merrill and a book adaptation by Edward Albee. The Muny version will not employ the Merrill score; instead, it will feature songs from the catalogues of Bart Howard and Johnny Mercer, including, of course, Mercer's "Moon River."
With a new book by Paul Blake and Hunt Holman, the Breakfast at Tiffany's company will also include Alan Campbell, Ken Page and Bruce Adler. Paul Blake will direct with choreography by Michele Lynch, orchestrations by Don Sebesky, scenic design by Michael Annania, lighting design by Mitch Dana and costumes by Robert Fletcher.
The summer season at the Muny kicks off with Meet Me in St. Louis, June 21-30. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats follows, July 5-11; the remainder of the season includes Annie, July 12-18; The Music Man, July 26-Aug. 1; Guys and Dolls, Aug. 2-8; and 42nd Street, Aug. 9-15.
Emily Skinner received a joint Tony Award nomination — with co-star Alice Ripley — for her performance in Side Show. Skinner's other Broadway credits include Jekyll & Hyde, James Joyce's The Dead, The Full Monty and Dinner at Eight.
Lauren Kennedy covered the role of Daisy Hilton in the Broadway production of Side Show and also appeared in the New York companies of Sunset Boulevard and Les Misérables. She starred in The Rhythm Club and was also a part of the early incarnations of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years, playing the role that would be played Off-Broadway by Sherie Rene Scott, when Kennedy crossed the Atlantic to star in the National Theatre's revival of South Pacific. Her debut solo CD — "The Songs of Jason Robert Brown" — boasts the premiere recordings of three new Brown tunes, "And I Will Follow," "Letting Go" and "If I Told You Now." For more information about The Muny, visit www.muny.com.
