'Toast' with Mathew Kelly

Richard Bean's 'Toast' was bought to life at Theatre Royal last night with amazing performances all round. 

The play is set in the early 1970’s, in the break room of the a bread factory on the edge of closure. With people’s jobs on the line, we follow the eclectic mix of workers as they go about a long and tedious shift at the factory. With plenty of work place banter and a lot of drama, this performance leaves the audience in awe as we watch the characters develop and by the end we are left rooting for them all, as we want to see them beat the crisis they face. It is not all doom and gloom though, it is jam packed with witty humour and plenty or running jokes, that make the audience anticipate them and so makes them even more hilarious. This dry sense of humour is perfect and is executed by Richard Bean, having previously doing the far more lighthearted production of ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’, ‘Toast’ is an amazing contrast and acts as a true reflection of the work place setting. It truly is gallows humour at it’s best.

 Being set in one location was very effective and having the cast constantly entering and exiting through the performance made it dynamic and brought bursts of new life whenever someone walked into the break room. The set was run down and bleak. Dirty white walls, old battered chairs and a bin overflowing with used teabags, create the perfect setting for a run down factory. The costumes were equally as depressing, stained white uniforms and grubby aprons contrasted amazing the great personalities of the cast. Each character was completely unique but they all had the same working class mentality and so they all were able to hold the the audiences attention individually and together as unit. Adding a truly entertaining dynamic to the performance that was fast paced and hilarious. 

Mathew Kelly as 'Nellie'

Mathew Kelly excelled as the oldest work - Nellie - portraying him beautifully. After 45 long years working at the factory and only six years from retirement, Nellie is vacant and almost broken from the mundane work life he has suffered since he was just 14. With child like simplicity, he only has a few lines and yet Mathew Kelly was mesmerising. The use of silence was especially captivating. I never thought watching one man alone on the stage eating a slice of cheese would be so endearing, yet you couldn't look away. From every small gesture to the subtle change in facial expression it was tragically hilarious. The character development of Nellie was my favourite by far. When first introduced to him, I personally didn't expect much from the character, but as the play progresses and you find out more about his back story, he becomes the heart of the factory and you can see how his life becomes as repetitive as the machines he works with. Right down to the little details, for example; he is constantly looking at the clock as he has to ration his cigarettes because his wife only gives him a pack a week. By the end of the show, his simplicity becomes far more complex and you find yourself totally unable to keep your eyes off of him. 

The cast of 'Toast' in a banterous scene

The on-stage relationship between the cast was incredible and one of the best elements of the show. The ‘lad-ish’ banter was top quality and the school playground like atmosphere in the break room acted as a stunning commentary of men in the work place and the desire for hierarchy and power, money, and status. With the men bragging about their hot water, wages and wives, the show was an early realistic snapshot of life for the factory workers and the working class issues of the 1970’s. The show contained a lot of adult language, however I do not feel it was misused at all, it only heightened the realism of the play and allowed the characters to be more human and relatable. The Northern direct and references added a great sense of location and time. With the play running on real time, the audience felt fully part of the shift, as the clock on stage allowed us to experience their day to day working life. I thought that was an extremely clever device to help show the mundane and almost robotic like structure of the workers break schedule.

Overall, ‘Toast’ was incredible and a completely new style of theatre for me, which only made it far more interesting and enjoyable. It will take you on an emotional rollercoaster and by the end you feel invested with all the character involved. Very well performed by all the cast, it acts a shining example of the high quality theatre that is being produced now. To me this play is what theatre acting is about, creating drama and yet commenting on social issues that affect or have affected people. I was truly engulfed by the performance. A stunning piece of theatre, performed by outstandingly talented actors