GEORGIA May Foote stars in a touring production of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the Truman Capote novella that was made famous by the 1961 film with Audrey Hepburn. 

Foote, who appeared in Coronation Street for five years and had a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, plays Holly Golightly in the play. A naive, extroverted socialite amid New York’s “cafe society”, Holly is also a high class escort. Foote says the production is closer to the novella than the film.

Your character Holly is reluctant to give too much of herself away initially – is it fun to play characters who only reveal themselves in instalments?

Definitely. She really tries to keep a lot back but she’s very quick and clued up. She plays it as though she doesn’t know what’s going on but she knows exactly what is happening. The only person she shows her vulnerable side to is Fred, because she doesn’t see him as a threat.

There’s a scene early on where Holly gets into the narrator Fred’s bed and she remarks that he reminds her of her brother – is it a siblinglike relationship between the two?

Yeah and she also knows that Fred is gay. She’s a high-class escort so she frequently deals with men who can take it a bit too far and be scary. She knows it’s OK to get into bed with Fred and cuddle him.

When the film came out there was controversy about whether Holly was an actual call girl, or prostitute. Is it made clearer in the novella?

She’s definitely a high-class prostitute – she makes her money by sleeping with and entertaining men.

Does any part of the “cafe society” in which the novella is set remind you of your back - ground in soap operas at all?

I think they’re completely different but that’s because I think this is very real and the characters in it aren’t overly exaggerated at all which is sometimes the case in soaps.

Are you interested in the cafe society scene in general, that highly sociable crowd?

Yeah, people don’t socialise any more do they, they’re always on their phones. I’m definitely interested in it – there’s one scene where Holly has a party and a lot of the population of Manhattan turn up. She just pulls people in off the street. That’s the way people used to make friends, I guess. It’s all networking for Holly.

I was going to ask if Audrey Hepburn looms over this role, having achieved iconic status after playing it in the film, but you said you hadn’t seen that. Is that a good thing?

Yeah. My Holly is very similar to Marilyn Monroe. The director actually wanted Marilyn to play the role anyway but Audrey Hepburn had a contract with MGM already. The film would put you off, I think, because it’s a different woman and age and time to the novella. I think Marilyn would have been childlike at times but also a strong woman, of course, so that was the kind of route I tried to go down.

There were some stories about low ticket sales earlier in the tour. Is it natural to be affected by that or are you able to look past that and perform to any audience?

It actually wasn’t true. It was very frustrating that the story came out. It’s been selling really well. We nearly sold out in Sheffield. Milton Keynes was slow but that’s because it is closer to London. I went and double checked that and it wasn’t true. It’s so frustrating when you work hard at some - thing and then there is rubbish like that.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Theatre Royal Brighton, New Road, Tuesday, October 25, to Saturday, October 29, 7.45pm (2.30pm matinee Weds, Thurs and Sat), from £19.40, 0844 8717650