Review: TRU at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Directed by the multi-award-winning Rob Ashford, the play explores Capote’s fall from grace after years among New York’s upper crust. Known for his flamboyant lifestyle, circle of wealthy society  women dubbed his ‘swans’, and iconic voice, Capote experienced a harsh social reckoning following  the publication of a gossipy exposé disguised as fiction.

Based on true events, playwright Jay Presson Allen sets the action in Capote’s 1975 New York  apartment as Capote faces the consequences of his betrayal. The performance space has been  spectacularly transformed beyond recognition, with the audience completely integrated into the  action. The attention to detail transports us to another world, while the unique cabaret-style seating  places us up close and personal with the spitting, sweating madness of it all.

The two-hander is made more powerful by its lack of an ensemble cast. Ferguson’s masterful  command of the material makes it easy to forget the impressive feat of speaking for 90 minutes with  minimal interruption. Joined by Charlotte d'Amboise, Ferguson explores Capote's relationships with the high-society women who confide in him and whom he desperately seeks to hold on to.

Fans of Ferguson’s character in Modern Family can expect another side of him in a performance that  exudes joyful flamboyance alongside insecurity and despair. Capote’s shifts between stream of  consciousness, telephone conversations and direct audience interaction had me transfixed. In one  breath a witty showman, in the next a defeated loner, Ferguson’s performance goes above and  beyond what’s provided in the text.

Whether you’re a fan of Ferguson, fascinated by the glamour and gossip of 1970s New York, or  simply keen to experience intimate theatre, Tru is not one to miss.

Tru Tickets