Tru at a glance

Show
Tru
Venue
Menier Chocolate Factory, Southwark
Address
53 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU
Nearest station
London Bridge
Genre
Drama (one-man play)
Running time
1 hour 30 minutes, no interval
Age guidance
15+
Dates
Previews from 19 September; opened 26 September; closes 14 November 2026
Price
From £55
Writer
Jay Presson Allen
Director
Rob Ashford
Starring
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Truman Capote

Expert Review: Tru at the Menier Chocolate Factory

4.0
★★★★★

LTH Expert Rating

Reviewed by the London Theatre Hub editorial team. Last updated: 26 October 2026.

The Verdict

Tru lives or dies on its central performance, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Truman Capote is very good indeed. He has the voice, the precise physical fussiness and the wit, but what lingers is the loneliness underneath: a celebrated writer alone at Christmas, waiting for phone calls from friends who have stopped calling. Rob Ashford's production puts the audience close enough to catch every shift, and the design makes the Menier feel like the inside of Capote's apartment.

The limits are in the script. Jay Presson Allen built the play almost entirely from Capote's own words, and it plays more as a sequence of anecdotes and reflections than a drama that builds. Critics split on how much that matters — from five stars to three — but there was broad agreement that the performance is the draw. If you want to see a star actor at close range in a small room, this is a fine evening. If you want a play with a strong narrative arc, temper expectations.

What Makes It Special

  • A star performance at close range. Jesse Tyler Ferguson reprises the role he played in New York, in one of London's most intimate venues.
  • Capote in his own words. Jay Presson Allen drew the text almost entirely from Capote's writing and interviews.
  • An immersive staging. Paul Farnsworth's design places the audience inside Capote's New York apartment.
  • A Tony-winning role. Robert Morse won a Tony Award for originating Capote on Broadway in 1989.
  • Short and sharp. Ninety minutes, straight through, with no interval.

You'll love Tru if you...

  • Admire a single actor holding a stage alone
  • Are interested in Truman Capote, In Cold Blood or Breakfast at Tiffany's
  • Enjoy 1970s New York society and its scandals
  • Prefer intimate venues to big West End houses
  • Are a fan of Jesse Tyler Ferguson

It might not be for you if you...

  • Want a play with a strong plot and a big dramatic arc
  • Know nothing of Capote and have no interest in him
  • Are bringing anyone under 15
  • Prefer large-scale productions
  • Find solo shows hard going

Best for

  • Theatre lovers
  • Literary fans
  • Date night
  • Star performances
  • Intimate venues
  • Short evenings

Not suitable for under-15s, or for audiences who want a plot-driven play.

Critical Reception

Tru opened at the Menier Chocolate Factory on 26 September 2026. Reviews were mixed to positive: critics consistently praised Jesse Tyler Ferguson's performance and the immersive design, while opinion divided on how well Jay Presson Allen's monologue holds together as a play. Verified ratings:

  • Theatre Weekly ★★★★★
  • Time Out ★★★

Source: published reviews of the Menier Chocolate Factory production, September 2026.

Everything You Need to Know

What happens in Tru?

It is December 1975. Truman Capote is alone in his New York apartment, a few weeks before Christmas. Excerpts from his long-promised novel Answered Prayers have just been published, and they expose the private lives of the wealthy women he called his "swans" — the society friends who had confided in him for years.

The fallout

The response has been swift. The friends have closed ranks, the invitations have stopped and the phone is silent. Capote talks to the audience as if to a guest who has dropped by, moving between gossip, self-justification, jokes and flashes of real pain.

A life in review

Over ninety minutes he looks back at his childhood, his early fame, the writing of In Cold Blood and the cost of the life he chose. The play is less about what happens that evening than about who Capote was by the end of 1975 — brilliant, wounded and increasingly isolated.