Truman Capote’s Ashes Invited to Broadway Premiere — But Security Concerns Stop the Show
The red carpet was booked, the canopies were ordered, and the invitations were going out. Angelina? Brad? Oh yes — and the cremated remains of Truman Capote.
Pardon?
Yes, you read that correctly. The producers of a Broadway revival of Breakfast at Tiffany’s made the unusual request that Capote’s ashes attend the after-party, since the author himself could not make an appearance.
But the cameo was not to be. Despite the glamour of the invitation, the risk of the ashes being stolen — again — meant the trip was firmly declined.
Capote’s remains are held by Joanne Carson, former wife of Johnny Carson and one of Capote’s closest friends. She keeps the ashes in the Bel Air bedroom where he died in 1984, and her caution is entirely understandable when you look at their history.
A colourful past: Halloween heists and theatrical mischief
The ashes have experienced more drama than many living celebrities.
In 1988, during a Halloween party at the Carson home, they were stolen along with jewellery valued at $200,000 (not £120,000 as sometimes misreported). Strangely, the ashes were returned soon after, though the jewellery never was. A second attempted theft occurred years later during a showing of Tru, a play adapted from Capote’s writings and staged by Mrs Carson.
With that track record, one can understand why she refused the Broadway request. For all the chaos these ashes have caused, Joanne Carson often referred to them as “her sanity,” a connection to a friend she cherished deeply.
A publicity stunt? Or something more mischievous?
One can’t help wondering whether the Broadway invitation was a bit of a ruse — a publicity play worthy of Capote himself. Or perhaps, as the more conspiratorial might suggest, someone involved in the production had been behind the previous escapades.
Where’s Scooby-Doo when you need him?
Odd or not, the whole episode is another reminder that when it comes to celebrities — even in death — the story never quite ends.