POP star Pixie Lott is to play Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s at Leeds Grand Theatre next spring.

The 24-year-old Bromley singer, actress and 2014 Strictly Come Dancing quarter-finalist will make her acting debut in a stage play in North Yorkshire director Nikolai Foster's new staging of the Truman Capote novella.

The setting is 1943 New York, where young Louisiana writer Fred meets Holly Golightly, a charming, vivacious good-time girl from the country who turns into an utterly elusive city socialite.

Everyone falls in love with Holly, not least Fred, but Fred is poor, whereas Holly's other suitors are a playboy millionaire and the future president of Brazil. As war rages in Europe, Holly begins to fall in love with Fred, just as her past catches up with her.

Holly Golightly was indelibly brought to screen life by Audrey Hepburn in Blake Edwards's 1961 film version and has been played on the London stage in 2009 by Anna Friel at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, where the former Brookside soap star was praised but the show suffered generally poor reviews.

Nikolai Foster, originally from Skipton, will be mounting Breakfast At Tiffany's as part of his inaugural season as the new artistic director of the Curve in Leicester, where it will open in March 3 next year before embarking on a British and Irish tour of seven cities that will visit the Leeds Grand from April 4 to 9. Once again the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, will then be the show's London home, hosting a 12-week run from June 30 to September 17 2016.

“I am so excited to play Holly Golightly in my first West End play," says Pixie. "I absolutely love Holly’s style and free spirit; she has always been an icon to me and I can't wait to bring my own personality to the role. Alongside music, I've always wanted to be in a play, and getting the opportunity to be in one of my all-time favourites and play this fabulous character is a dream come true.”

Pixie studied drama at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts from the age of 11, appearing in the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium during that time. She released her debut album, Turn It Up, in September 2009, achieving 1.5 million sales and five hit singles; her second, Young Foolish Happy, came out in November 2011; her self-titled third, in August 2014.

A compilation, Platinum Pixie, was a speedy follow-up last November, featuring six Top Ten entries including three chart toppers, Mama Do, Boys And Girls and All About Tonight.

Capote's novella has been adapted for the stage by Tony and Olivier Award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg, writer of the baseball drama Take Me Out and Three Days Of Rain, and Foster's production will feature songs from the Forties' era as well as original music by Grant Olding, from One Man, Two Guvnors.

“The goal of this version is to return to the original setting of the novella, which is the New York of the Second World War, as well as to resume its tone," says Greenburg. "Still stylish and romantic, yes, but rougher-edged and more candid than people generally remember. Capote was a great writer and a natural maker of plots and Breakfast At Tiffany's has a drive that makes it very alluring to dramatise.”

Nikolai Foster has made his mark in Yorkshire with such productions as Animal Farm, Annie! and Irving Berlin's White Christmas last Christmas at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds.

"I am thrilled Pixie Lott will lead the company in our production of Richard Greenburg's beautiful adaptation," says Nikolai, who will be joined in the production team by la Cage Aux Folles designer Matthew Wright. "Developing new audiences for drama and presenting plays which are socially relevant are things we feel passionately about at Curve."

Tickets for the Leeds Grand run have gone on sale this week at £18.50 to £37 on 0844 848 2700 or at leedsgrandtheatre.com