For two hours every night, Robert Morse becomes Truman Capote in a new one-man play, ”Tru,” by Jay Presson Allen.
Q: The play takes place on Christmas Eve and Christmas, 1975. Why is it set at that particular time?
A: Capote felt very abandoned then. He had written ”Answered Prayers,”
which he hoped would be his ”Vanity Fair” or ”Remembrance of Things Past,” but instead, it falls flat. He feels that all his friends have deserted him. His mood varies from sad to wild, funny, witty, and irascible, but never, ever self-pitying. This play is not about his decline and fall; it`s about him as a fighter, holding his head up, being terribly charming.
Q: You tell many, many stories during the play. Which is your favorite?
A: The one about him opening up a Christmas present one year. There`s this big box from Bonwit Teller, and inside is a woman`s night gown, a pink shortie with lots of ruffles. It`s a gift from a naughty friend who sent it as a joke. Truman puts it on and prances around his apartment, and then he gets locked out on a freezing cold night. I`m not going to tell you how it ends.
Q: There have been so many books written about Capote. Did you read them to prepare for the role?
A: Not one. I`ll read them later. All I worked with was the script and the director.
Q: How long does it take you to do your makeup?
A: An hour. Two ladies make me up with a skull cap, a wig, prosthetics, a false tooth and lots of makeup. When they`re finished, I look like Truman Capote.
Q: Capote had such a distinctive voice. Was it difficult for you to master it?
A: It took about 20 mintues. I put on a tape of Dick Cavett interviewing him on my VCR and watched it for about 20 minutes. Then I turned it off, and I never looked at it again. It just came easily to me. What is difficult is talking about Capote`s alcoholism and sense of loneliness. That touches chords in all of us.
