Toast| The Blue Room Theatre | Until May 27 | ★ ★ ★
Toast had an incredible set and sparse but effective lighting. Walking into the set was amazing, across the concrete floor and to the seating, really set up the space and made me feel like a bit of an interloper and there was a feeling for most of it that you were observers, or voyeurs on this family dealing with grief.
I have to mention this because it excites me that even the production crew was all female and how real these relationships portrayed were, the dynamics and even the words were almost word for word things my family have said.
The relationships with each other and there significant others was also heartrendingly familiar, this play is so rooted in Perth and Australia and it sucks. As much as I want to say this story is universal it is so a Perth story – don’t get me wrong grief is universal, but my god. A little too close to home.
I thought they were incredibly brave and I have nothing but respect for these women exploring and tackling a subject as huge as grief and for the most part they did exactly that.
Watching this show I felt grief- it was nice to go to a show that allowed me to experience my own grief – Grief for my own family going through the exact same situation, grief for the alcoholism portrayed and it very real life consequences in my own life, grief for the four sisters who are doing this exact same thing in my Nan’s living room.
The writing was amazing and the ability of one line to bring 20 years worth of grief or more in some peoples’ cases made me want to just go to the writer and say “thank you, you get it”. It is essentially a tale of love and loss and just being OK with it not being OK.
I felt at times the actors avoided the actual emotional circumstances but the writing and each of the ensemble bought it back and saved each other just like in the script. In fact, a lot mirrored the script including the awkward beginning which was excruciating for all the wrong reasons.
So many beautiful moments of just a action which told more than an entire monologue could have done. The story was nicely broken up and shared among the sisters.
Toast is playing at The Blue Room until May 27th. Tickets and more information available from blueroom.org.au
Sophia Gilet
Image:- Daniel James Grant
