Breakfast at Tiffany's (musical): History and Key Facts

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a musical with music and lyrics by Bob Merrill and a book originally by Abe Burrows but rewritten during pre-Broadway tryouts by Edward Albee. It is based on the 1958 Truman Capote novella and 1961 film of the same name about a free spirit named Holly Golightly.

After tryouts in Philadelphia and Boston, and only four previews on Broadway in 1966, the show was closed by producer David Merrick at a total financial loss. Its only revival was a staged concert in 2013 at a 200-seat venue in London. A studio recording was released in 2001.

The musical is one of the most notorious fiascos in Broadway history. William Goldman called it a "legendary production" meaning "a certain kind of Broadway show that by virtue of its birth agonies and the resulting publicity achieves an immortality most productions never dare aspire to." (Other examples he gave were Buttrio Square and Portofino.)

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