Photography by Johan Persson

The Menier Chocolate Factory – an intimate theatre space near London Bridge station – has been absolutely smashing it recently. Over the summer they had the UK premiere of queer musical Midnight at the Never Get starring Tony-winning Broadway icon Ben Platt, and now we have a revival of Jay Pressen Allen’s play Tru, about the life of gay author Truman Capote. Best known for his novels Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood – both adapted into hugely successful films – the play is set in 1975, at a time when Capote’s career is on the decline and he has fallen out with many of his celebrity friends.

We don’t want to give away too many spoilers but walking into the theatre is a real ‘wow’ moment: the Menier Chocolate Factory theatre space has been completely transformed to replicate Capote’s opulent Manhattan apartment. Of course, there’s far more seating than you’d expect in an apartment, to accommodate the audience members – seated on a variety of sofas, armchairs and dining chairs – but the apartment itself has incredible attention to detail, from handwritten notes to a substantial collection of paperweights. Set designer Paul Farnsworth’s creation has to be seen to be believed; it looks truly magnificent.