Menier Chocolate Factory

So the director and myself and Charlotte, who's on stage with me, are the only three that did it in, in, uh, New York.

So this whole group of people that have joined us here in London are just in- so incredible, and everyone at the Menier Chocolate Factory has just been so wonderful and supportive.

And, um, yeah, it's really...

It's been elevated in a way that I didn't think it could be from New York, which is really exciting.

It's, uh, you need to see it to believe it.

Uh, but thank you, Jesse, for not only being so lovely and friendly and gorgeous in that chat, but also a jolly good sport.

You can see Jesse performing as Truman Capote in True until the 14th of November, 2026 at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London.

A huge thank you again to Jesse, and to you gorgeous lot for listening.

the musical went on tour around the States and also ended up in London, um, o- just off of the West End.

Uh, it was in a production directed by John Doyle at the Menier Chocolate Theatre, uh, Chocolate Factory even, which I don't think is too far from, um, around sort of like Tower Bridge area.

Oh, that's near me.

Um, yeah.

[upbeat music] Today, I'm speaking to Lauren Ezenya.

Lauren has many theater credits, but notably Hadestown in the West End, Close Up: The Twiggy Musical at the Menier Chocolate Factory, and The Harder They Come at the Stratford East Theatre, as well as appearing in the Wicked movie.

Lauren is currently offstage swing in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind at Soho Place, while simultaneously raising her two girls.

I met Lauren at the Two Can job share meeting run by Lauren Hall and her associates, who I'm always banging on about.

Now of course, more recent productions, including the West End production which has just finished, has much more minimal sets.

So that production was of course done at the Menier Chocolate Factory first, which is a much, much smaller theater.

Much smaller than Drury Lane, anyway.

And so they had a production which didn't have as big a set as that original production.

... we'll start with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who fans of the big American TV sitcom Modern Family will know from, uh, his years playing Mitchell Pritchett in that big success.

Uh, Jesse's here in London at the Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre, starring in True, T-R-U, a more or less one-man show about a difficult day or two in the life of Truman Capote, famous for writing Breakfast at Tiffany's, In Cold Blood, and in his own words, eventually famous for being famous.

Uh, but Jesse, not everyone will know about Truman Capote over here, so perhaps you could describe the sort of man you're playing.

Well, yeah, I mean, he was, in many ways, the creator of, of true crime, the, the true crime genre.

[laughs] All right.

Well, thank you very much, uh, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, for joining us.

True is at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London until the 14th of November.

Um, uh, good to see you.

It is weird, but it's what you say.

So we can catch you at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

You're on from the, let me remind myself, September the 19th to the 14th of November.

That's right.

Yeah, well, I knew her, my husband worked with her years ago when they did Sister Act.

So I went to see her actually when she was at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

playing Celie in The Colour Purple.

I can't remember the year, but it was a while ago.