'Tru' Off-Broadway review — Jesse Tyler Ferguson transforms into Truman Capote
Read our review of Tru off Broadway, starring Emmy Award winner Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Charlotte d'Amboise, at the House of the Redeemer through May 3.
Summary
- Tru stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Truman Capote in the wake of a scandal that got him shunned by his elite inner circle
- The show has narrative flaws but has a perfect venue in the lavish and cozy library of the House of the Redeemer
- The show is recommended for fans of TV shows like Feud: Capote vs. The Swans; The Gilded Age; and Gossip Girl
The title of Jay Presson Allen's Tru is both an actual nickname for author Truman Capote — the script's sole character, portrayed by Jesse Tyler Ferguson — and a hint at the way he spins his narratives: just a hair off from purely true. So it is for a book excerpt Capote published in Esquire Magazine in 1975, dishing on the real scandals of high-society titans with, because they were his friends, only some of their real names. But that fraction of fiction wasn't enough to protect Capote from their outrage — and thus we meet him, supposedly ostracized, with only the eclectic hodgepodge of possessions in his apartment for company.
Except he also has an oft-ringing phone and a party with Ava Gardner on the books for that night — "not bad for a social pariah," he does admit. And he has us, the audience, to hold court for. He spends much of the first half going long on both gossip about others and himself (not unlike in his Esquire piece); he delights, almost smugly, in being able to spill the beans on anything about anyone, even after it got him in hot water. Allen's version of Capote is short-sighted, unable to imagine anything but the elite, exclusive world he's always had access to. (A laugh line in which he compares Staten Island to Australia further suggests this.)
The actor finely transforms into the writer, imitating his high-pitched voice and wardrobe like that of a mob boss on vacation (costumes are by Sam Spector). But about halfway through, Tru's momentum plateaus despite Allen's attempts to dive into the darker side of Capote's psyche. He meanders into so many different areas of his life and career with no apparent logic — sometimes he's talking to us, sometimes to himself or the phone or the biographer as though we're suddenly not there — without ever reaching a dramatic peak. A scene in which a telephone operator recognizes Capote's voice and chats with him, momentarily freeing him and us from his own head, comes closest.
I should mention here that director Rob Ashford's staging of Tru isn't entirely a solo piece. In fact, the first person we see is a swanlike Charlotte d'Amboise, her lithe dancer's body slinking about in a backless black gown and white feathered headdress. She is, after all, a representation of the Swans — the collective name for Capote's inner circle of upper-class women — forlornly haunting the space in near-silence. For Capote, she seems to be a specter of guilt (she's most often acknowledged as one particular Swan: Barbara "Babe" Paley, whose forgiveness Capote craves most). For us, she's a reminder that for all Capote's self-pitying, his expose did harm these women, too. She literally pulls back the curtain on Capote's monologuing, letting in a bright column of light as a stark reminder of the world outside himself.
It's no fault of d'Amboise's, but her presence feels unneccessarily heavy-handed. Much like Capote's apartment, Ashford's Tru has lots of beautiful trappings, but they don't quite cohere.
Tru summary
In 1975, author Truman Capote published an excerpt from his forthcoming novel Answered Prayers in the magazine Esquire. Titled "La Côte Basque, 1965," the piece was a thinly veiled expose of the scandalous secrets of various NYC elites. They included multiple women in his inner circle, collectively known as the Swans, who promptly shunned him. In Tru, we see Capote reeling from this exclusion and reflecting on the state of his life and career.
Tru originally premiered in 1989, five years after Capote's death and two after Answered Prayers was finally published in the U.S.
What to expect at Tru
Ashford's production is, to its credit, the perfect marriage of show and venue. The House of the Redeemer's library — a 99-seat space imported whole-cloth into the Upper East Side mansion from Italy by the Vanderbilts — is an excellent starting point from which to build Capote's maximalist, insular apartment, with its few windows and many, many books. Set designer Mike Harrison adds everything from patterned couches to a cluttered desk to taxidermied birds to lamps shaped like ostrich eggs; it all gives the space a snug, lived-in feel.
The 360-degree seating layout means you'll inevitably spend some moments looking at the back of Ferguson's head. He'll make up for it by making eye contact with you later. It's not exactly an immersive show, but Ferguson deliberately directs certain lines to select audience members. He might even accompany you on the couch or at a dining table if that's where you choose to sit (seat assignments are first-come, first-served).
What audiences are saying about Tru
Tru has received mixed reviews from audiences at early performances.
- "Jesse was great. It was so different from anything else I’ve seen him in. I do feel like the show kinda dragged, but I’m not sure how much that was impacted by the back of my stool hitting my back uncomfortably. There’s a lot I enjoyed and found funny but I think the structure of the show itself felt very meandering and aimless which made me feel like I could have been there for hours." - Reddit user u/newthethestral
- "Some of the added elements might be a bit self-indulgent, but that didn’t seem out of place to me in a one-man play about Truman Capote (notwithstanding his Swan, of course). It runs the advertised ninety minutes." - Reddit user u/NotesFromRowI
- "My husband and I were able to sit on the couch- and we decided that it was the most comfortable we have been at any show." - Reddit user u/Quick_wit8491
- "Loved the setting but questionable story arc with no defining peak. Not captivating enough to be drawn into a one man show for 90 minutes. Charlotte D'Amboise though... queen." - Mezzanine user Mike Bonafede
Who should see Tru
- If you liked Ryan Murphy's FX TV miniseries Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, you'll enjoy Tru, which is also inspired by the aftermath of Capote's Answered Prayers scandal.
- Fans of Truman Capote's work will enjoy seeing it come to life off the page, as Allen adapted his script from Capote's writings.
- Fans of shows like The Gilded Age and even Gossip Girl — about the exploits and scandals of NYC high society — may enjoy Tru, which is not only gleefully gossipy about the world of the elites, but makes you feel like you have exclusive access to it within the intimate, exclusive confines of the House of the Redeemer.
Learn more about Tru off Broadway
Unsure whether to make us sympathize with Capote, condemn him, or spark debate that could go either way, Tru ends up ambivalent, never quite getting us to a place that's deeply felt or, well, poignantly true.
Photo credit: Tru off Broadway. (Photos by Marc J. Franklin)
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