Review: The Last Timbit may be a giant ad, but it’s more than deserving of your dough | Canada Voices

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• Title: The Last Timbit
• Written by: Nick Green, composers Anika Johnson, Britta Johnson
• Director: Brian Hill
• Actors: Kaya Kanashiro, Chilina Kennedy, Jake Epstein
• Venue: The Elgin Theatre, 198 Yonge Street
• City: Toronto
• Year: To June 30, 2024

God help us all: Tim Hortons might hold the key to saving Canadian theatre.

If you squint a little, The Last Timbit, the new musical by playwright Nick Green and composers Anika Johnson and Britta Johnson, looks and sounds like a spiritual successor to Come From Away.

The franchise-focused musical is set not in early-2000s Newfoundland, but in the middle of a snowstorm at a Tim Hortons in southwestern Ontario. Over the course of 70 minutes, we learn about the Canadians stuck in the coffee shop as they weather the squall. By the time the storm breaks, the captives have learned a heap of life lessons about friendship, family and the impossible-to-overstate importance of doughnuts.

The Last Timbit has all the makings of a sugar-sweet fever dream. On the one hand, yes, it’s an advertorial: There’s no denying the musical largely exists to sell baked goods and coffee. (As the ensemble tells us time and again, Tim Hortons coffee is “always fresh.”) A glowing Tim Hortons sign looms centre stage, relentless in its reminder that one of the hottest new projects in Canadian musical theatre has been bankrolled by a fast-food chain.

But on the other hand, there’s a lot to like about The Last Timbit – if it takes capital from Big Doughnut to bring this creative team together, so be it. Green’s book contains the wit and warmth we’ve come to expect from plays such as Casey and Diana and Body Politic, and the Johnsons’ music blends catchy melodies with slick, cheeky lyrics. Prepare yourself for a lot of puns – they’re one of the highlights of the writing. Brian Hill’s direction is effective and understated, allowing the writing and performances to shine, while Kelly Wolf’s sleek set perfectly captures the sharp corporate corners of a modern Tim Hortons.

When we meet mom-and-daughter duo Michelle (a standout Chilina Kennedy) and Olivia (Kaya Kanashiro), they’re driving through snow and bickering the way only mothers and teenage daughters can, about everything from boys to Michelle’s recent divorce. There’s a distinct Gilmore Girls timbre to their relationship, which skirts the line between parenthood and friendship.

Soon enough, the pair realizes they’ll be trapped in Tim Hortons overnight, along with an oddball group of fellow customers waiting out the storm. Shane (the knockout Jake Epstein) is a Dwight Schrute-esque park ranger with tenuous social skills and a strong competitive streak. Vince and Nicole (Andrew Broderick and Kimberly Ann-Truong) are influencers desperate to get to a Met Gala-style party. Chloe (the always wonderful Sara Farb) is a social outcast yearning to make friends, and sweet widower Anton (Peter Millard) just wants to drink his coffee in peace, at the table he and his wife called their own for over 20 years.

Rounding out the cast are possible fugitives Kathy and Ellen (Barbara Fulton and DeAnn DeGruijter, who make the most of underwritten roles) and Timmies staff members Charlie (Danté Prince) and Monty (Sterling Jarvis).

The Come From Away of it all is fairly prominent, and that makes sense, especially given producer Michael Rubinoff’s involvement in both. But if, like that musical, The Last Timbit has ambitions beyond this world premiere, it might benefit from a bit of distancing from that show, which set a precedent for 70-minute musicals about Canadians trapped in a small town with a group of strangers-turned-pals.

All in, The Last Timbit is, yes, a lot of fun, even if it is a roller coaster (or, with apologies, a roller toaster) of a production. The talent of this cast and creative team really is unparalleled – amidst shrinking theatrical budgets and shortening seasons, it’s thrilling to see some investment in high-quality Canadian musical theatre, even if it is from Tim Hortons, of all companies. With tweaks (and, say, 20 per cent fewer subliminal messages to buy baked goods), this show could enter the canon for good.

Is The Last Timbit a giant ad? Yes. Will the average audience member care? Probably not. Take a chance on this new Canadian musical – it’s more than deserving of your dough.

In the interest of consistency across all critics’ reviews, The Globe has eliminated its star-rating system in film and theatre to align with coverage of music, books, visual arts and dance. Instead, works of excellence will be noted with a critic’s pick designation across all coverage. (Television reviews, typically based on an incomplete season, are exempt.)