Last night saw the opening of Toast at the Theatre Royal, it was one of the busiest and noisiest nights I have personally attended at the Theatre (apart from a couple of kid’s shows understandably). It started abruptly and silently, which was met with an equally silenced audience.
I was not prepared for the crude behaviours and blue language used but thankfully I am not easily offended . However it was clearly observed that some were not quite so laid back with this portrayal of typical Yorkshire men. The set matched this tone; amusingly vulgar.
As an audience member you feel as if you are a fly on the wall in the staff room of a bread factory in the 1970’s. The playwright, Richard Bean, believes it is a psychological look at alienation and identity formation, however I felt like it was a comic lesson in the art of painful conversation and forced camaraderie. There were lots of laughs all the way through from the audience, it was highly entertaining and endearing.
For me the highlight was Nellie’s (brought to life by Matthew Kelly) silent soliloquy which was surprisingly captivating, who knew eating cheese could evoke so much emotion!
Toast is showing until Saturday 9th April with both evening and matinee performances, but be warned it does have the potential to put you off eating bread!
Tickets available at www.trch.co.uk from £18.
Review by Josie Opal
