Toast (Brits Off Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (151)
See it if you love to explore new worlds and great acting. This story is character driven and you come to love the characters.
Don't see it if you have a problem with understanding heavy accents. This will be frustrating if you can't understand the dialect.
See it if If you want to see outstanding ensemble acting "Toast" is for you. By Richard Bean it begins slowiy but is well worth seeing!
Don't see it if British plays about employees and their problems in a bakery are not for you.
See it if You know or want to know life in Hull ,U.K. In 70's. Funny,sad drama. Great cast,great acting.
Don't see it if Struggle with accents, the actors stay pretty true to hull 1970's. This is not fast action, it is very slow especially at the beginning.
See it if You like British humour, working-class struggles and some raunchiness, and are willing to attune your ear to a variety of accents.
Don't see it if You were in the mood for something lighthearted or you want straightforward narrative.
See it if You enjoy UK plays that deal with various aspects of life, work, class, humor of that part of the world.
Don't see it if You dislike blunt language, humor, from a UK originated show - and also have trouble with English dialects.
See it if You appreciate good acting and direction along with good character development; poignancy mixed with humor and a great second act.
Don't see it if you have trouble following fast paced talking with regional accents and slang, if repetitive shenanigans bore you - 1 crotch grab too many.
See it if You want to see a workplace drama with moments of comedy, especially if you enjoy the British perspective.
Don't see it if You can't take long moments of inactivity on stage or have trouble understanding British accents.
See it if You like somewhat silly British humor, a few bathroom humor type laughs, simple plot
Don't see it if you have difficulty understanding British dialogue, don't like silly humor, want a show with a deep intriguing plot
Critic Reviews (32)
"The pace of this play is slow and the payoff might seem subtle, except that this production affords a feast of notable character actors, in perfect ensemble, performing small, detailed moments beautifully full of life and significance...Richard Bean creates a microcosm in which we can see a world of despair in the labor force, and the humor in the play humanizes the plight in both stark and gentle ways.”
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“If you’re a fan of British theater and want to enjoy some fine acting, then you may want to help yourself to a slice of ‘Toast’...There is a strong sense of ensemble among the all-male cast, all of whom portray fully realized characters with great skill and talent...Those who are not au fait with the British sense of humor may feel a little lost at times. Still, it is easy to warm to every character in this offbeat story.”
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"I wish 'Toast' had wasted a little more time with the existential hokum. The play, which clocks in at a cumbersome two hours, lives largely in the antics of men...The stakes here never surpass that scene, an hour earlier, when Lance gave Walter a death sentence. Though we do gain some deeper insight into Lance, it doesn’t quite distinguish him from any of his colleagues; 'Toast’s' ultimate takeaway remains that these men love to work."
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"'Toast' slices its way through layers of delicious intrigue to a tasty core of surprises that make the journey more than worthwhile…Each member of the ensemble cast delivers an authentic and believable performance…Eleanor Rhode directs 'Toast' with a keen eye for the visual and wastes no movement or pause…Mr. Bean – as he always manages to accomplish – creates order out of chaos and raises enduring questions from the detritus in an overflowing bin of used teabags."
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"The chief pleasures are in watching an expertly meshed ensemble of top-notch British actors doing their best working-class stuff, which means we have to contend with their sometimes impenetrable lingo and dialects. Since a big clock up center shows us real time passing, the play doesn’t escape the longueurs (mainly in act one) of watching characters simply sitting around and smoking, but if hyperrealism is your thing, a slice of ‘Toast’ goes a long way."
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"'Toast,' which takes place 40 years ago, chronicles the slow death of the industrial economy in England. Bean, who’s an expert with a quip and a joke, has something more serious on his mind here than he did with the lovable 'One Man, Two Guvnors,' and he has the right cast, the right director in Eleanor Rhode and the right set designer in James Turner, who must have had a bang-up time covering the set with the flour that layers the players, too."
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"The situation is somewhat formulaic and so is the plotting, but Bean manages something distinctive, too, giving each of the men a distinctive voice...By showing their rivalry and camaraderie, Bean humanizes these men without lending their characters or their work any particular dignity...Eleanor Rhode’s production is finely detailed, perhaps too finely...The performances are playful and mostly un-showy."
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“Accents, be warned, are, though undoubtedly accurate, extremely strong and often incomprehensible...Playwright Richard Bean offers an unmistakably authentic scenario, but so little happens, it’s an effort to remain consistently interested...Every character is three dimensional, with Simon Greenall’s Cecil and John Wark’s Lance manifesting notable distinctions...Eleanor Bean’s direction helps color her characters. Staging is effective.”
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