A light hearted poke at Anglo-French relations
From the Gallic Gang – a company striving to introducing French plays to theatre goers in England – comes an Anglo-French adaptation of Poiret’s Fefe de Broadway. Set in 1977, we see Fifi, a once renowned theatre actress, who was used to securing the most sought-after roles, now struggling to come to terms with her fading fame. Keen to break into the West End, Fifi teams up with British theatre director and former lover Simon, who only agrees to cast her as she is bringing the much-needed finance and connections that Simon has struggled to secure.
The rest of the cast are ecstatic to be working with a renowned actress, in Basingstoke, and soon enough the British-French clash of cultures begins and out of control Fifi and
rebellious cast ensemble have the director running ragged.
The staging was simple; four moveable walls to create a couple of different locations -Fifi’s dressing room and her hotel room with the majority of the play taking place in a
backstage/rehearsal area. Lighting was predominately theatre house lights – though toned down, the simplistic and flexible approach allowed the space to engage the audience with the story and a few 70’s tracks helped to set the scene. Naturally, costume had a 70’s feel to it; the stereotypical theatre director costume, a punk and a few cabaret numbers.
With French Toast being an adaption, it felt often that a lot of the humorous moments were lost in translation be it because lines were often spoke in French or that certain references were more relatable to any French audience members, plus one can assume that a French audience member has previous knowledge of Fefe de Broadway. However, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t English cultural references and seeing Fifi trying to navigate the British culture meant that there were funny moments.
Overall, it was enjoyable. The actors’ performances were energetic and it is surely a sign of a talented actor to play an actor who can’t act. The cast members had great singing voices though for a play that is dubbed a musical adaptation, I would have expected a few more musical numbers but I can appreciate that the foundations of the play are of a company of actors rehearsing. French Toast was a little chaotic, a little bit ridiculous at times and definitely had a few cliches, poking fun at how the British see the French and vice versa.