“As directed by Rhode, and acted by a vigorous cast of seven, it is a shrewd and poignant study of how rote work defines those who perform it...'Toast' isn’t easy to classify. It combines the frenzy of farce with the creeping incremental detail of kitchen-sink realism...Joking, teasing and roughhousing are all just diversions to keep people from thinking about the final nothingness that awaits them. That 'Toast' is shadowed by this awareness doesn’t keep it from being boisterously entertaining."
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“In a season already blessed with two effective break-room dramas, it’s tough to drum up much interest in this 1999 throwback by the author of ‘One Man, Two Guvnors.’ Bean evidently learned a thing or two in the wake of this, his first play—like how to jump right into the action and not waste a good half-hour establishing character...In the second act the action cranks up...Unfortunately Kelly cartoonishly indicates Nellie’s fright and confusion rather than authentically embodying the emotions."
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"It’s a slog. The action, such as it is, takes place in the break room of a British bread factory, where the employees affectionately bicker and sip endless cups of tea. Nothing much happens, and the elliptical dialogue is made even more impenetrable by the working-class northern English accents. Things marginally pick up in the second act — if you make it that far. Sadly, this loaf takes way too long to rise."
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"The show is a humorous, yet intensely realistic depiction of factory life and the diverse group of men who share their workdays…The stellar cast features some of Britain's most celebrated actors in a collective performance that is absolutely compelling. They deliver the glib male banter seamlessly…It is an entertaining and appealing show that brings a real sense of humanity to the stage with an excellent depiction of the working class and their realities."
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"'Toast' has the sting of authenticity in its portrait of life in a large-scale, factory-like bakery in Hull, England, in the mid-'70s, but, lacking the yeast of a strong dramatic conflict, the result is the theatrical equivalent of flatbread...The characters, however well-drawn, are not intrinsically compelling and very little happens before the intermission...This is a workplace play that feels like work to watch."
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"Be on notice that the play is full of local slang, and the actors speak in accents thick enough to need an industrial bread slicer to cut through...When an emergency arises that threatens to kill the operation, the men pull together to work on a solution. This may be the play's most compelling section. Even more surprising is the fact that you really begin to care what will happen to them, even if you can't always understand what they are saying."
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“Its seven actors, under director Eleanor Rhode, are giving performances as balanced and precise as a top-flight chamber-music ensemble...All of Bean's characters are intricately delineated and humorously so...Bean has an original voice and a keen eye for character. 'Toast' demonstrates that he has had those gifts from the beginning of his career.”
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“'Toast' baits us with an incredibly deep, crafted world that left me wanting to know more about what I had seen. I felt like I had been shown only a fraction of the real meat existing between these characters underneath the surface, and it was a bit disappointing to feel that only a few stories came to a satisfying conclusion. It is great to see a skilled cast...however, it also might be somewhat challenging for the casual theatregoer to appreciate the inner workings of the play."
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