INTERVIEW
Nigel Slater
with Giles Cooper and Henry Filloux-Bennett
talking about
Nigel Slater's TOAST
Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea
3rd to 7th September 2019
Nigel Slater
with Giles Cooper and Henry Filloux-Bennett
talking about
Nigel Slater's TOAST
Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea
3rd to 7th September 2019
Following its world premier at The Lowry, Salford in May, a sold-out run as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and a London transfer to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Other Palace until 3rd August, (where I was lucky enough to see it last week), Nigel Slater’s Toast will be touring the UK, stopping off at Southend’s Palace Theatre from the 3rd to the 6th of September.
The play has been written by the rather aptly named Henry Filloux-Bennett and directed by, 'Essex boy', Jonnie Riordan. Toast vividly recreates Nigel Slater’s childhood in the 1960s, through the tastes and smells he shares with his mother, culminating in the young Nigel’s escape to London. From making the perfect sherry trifle, through the playground politics of sweets, the rigid rules of restaurant dining, and a domestic war over cakes, this is a moving and evocative tale of love, loss and…toast. It is based on Nigel Slater's award-winning autobiography, Toast, which won the bestselling author, presenter and The Observer food columnist, the British Book Awards Biography of the Year,
We have been invited to The Other Palace’s auditorium to meet Nigel Slater, after seeing the play, and he sits perched on the edge of the stage, with Giles Cooper and Henry Filloux-Bennett either side of him. Giles plays the young Nigel in the production and thus far is the only member of the cast who has been confirmed for the touring production. We will be finding out very soon who the full touring cast will be.
The play has been written by the rather aptly named Henry Filloux-Bennett and directed by, 'Essex boy', Jonnie Riordan. Toast vividly recreates Nigel Slater’s childhood in the 1960s, through the tastes and smells he shares with his mother, culminating in the young Nigel’s escape to London. From making the perfect sherry trifle, through the playground politics of sweets, the rigid rules of restaurant dining, and a domestic war over cakes, this is a moving and evocative tale of love, loss and…toast. It is based on Nigel Slater's award-winning autobiography, Toast, which won the bestselling author, presenter and The Observer food columnist, the British Book Awards Biography of the Year,
We have been invited to The Other Palace’s auditorium to meet Nigel Slater, after seeing the play, and he sits perched on the edge of the stage, with Giles Cooper and Henry Filloux-Bennett either side of him. Giles plays the young Nigel in the production and thus far is the only member of the cast who has been confirmed for the touring production. We will be finding out very soon who the full touring cast will be.
Toast has been extraordinarily well received by audiences and critics alike. This is a play like no other. It has been superbly written and directed. It has the power to pull at the heartstrings but will also have you laughing out loud. It’s also an added surprise to find out during the performance that sweets, lemon meringues and Walnut Whips are shared with the audience. We are really hoping that this will still be case when the play tours. Childhood favourites such as Parma Violets and Rhubarb and Custard boiled sweets are passed around in pink and white striped paper bags and audience members are encouraged to grab a couple and pass the bag along. What a treat and probably the only time I will never complain about rustling sweet wrappers in an auditorium.
Giles admits that audiences seem to love the nostalgia.
“It’s a lovely moment when I’m reading out the Angel Delight ingredients, and when I hold the packet up, there’s such a lovely response. There’s a warm kind of glow from the audience, which is great.”
Nigel takes over, “We knew that food was going to the heart and soul of the whole thing and it’s why we decided very early on that when [the cast] are talking about something - like a lemon meringue or walnut whip - it would be rather nice if the audience got to taste a little bit of it. I know logistically it’s not that easy to have the cast passing food up the aisles but the moment I see the audience passing a plate of food around, it gives me such a thrill, I can’t tell you - it was a great idea.”
Henry adds, "We also knew that if Joan (Nigel's stepmother) was making lemon meringue tarts and she had three or four hundred guests then there was going to be no way she was going to let that pass her," he laughs, "she was going to make them for everyone!”
Nigel explains that originally the book simply began as a list of food that he had grown up with. He does like a list, we discover.
“I thought it would be good to taste those things; like Angel Delight and the sweets; and I realised that every single thing had a story attached to it. I ended up adding bits, personal bits and then it became a book.”
He continues, “I never had any idea that it would have a life like this,” he says about the play which begins with the 10 year old Nigel living an almost idyllic lifestyle, to years later and the 16 year old Nigel, whose life takes a somewhat tragic turn of events when his mother very sadly passes away.
“I wrote about me,” he says quietly, “it was a very personal story, but what I didn’t take on board was how much it would affect other people.”
“I started getting letters from people and actually,” he pauses, “so many kids go through stuff. So many children come from families that for one reason or another, one major member of their family suddenly disappears from their life and someone else comes in. I hadn’t taken any of this on board that it was other people’s lives as well. And then wham, people were writing to me saying, excuse me but you’ve just written my life story.”
Giles admits that audiences seem to love the nostalgia.
“It’s a lovely moment when I’m reading out the Angel Delight ingredients, and when I hold the packet up, there’s such a lovely response. There’s a warm kind of glow from the audience, which is great.”
Nigel takes over, “We knew that food was going to the heart and soul of the whole thing and it’s why we decided very early on that when [the cast] are talking about something - like a lemon meringue or walnut whip - it would be rather nice if the audience got to taste a little bit of it. I know logistically it’s not that easy to have the cast passing food up the aisles but the moment I see the audience passing a plate of food around, it gives me such a thrill, I can’t tell you - it was a great idea.”
Henry adds, "We also knew that if Joan (Nigel's stepmother) was making lemon meringue tarts and she had three or four hundred guests then there was going to be no way she was going to let that pass her," he laughs, "she was going to make them for everyone!”
Nigel explains that originally the book simply began as a list of food that he had grown up with. He does like a list, we discover.
“I thought it would be good to taste those things; like Angel Delight and the sweets; and I realised that every single thing had a story attached to it. I ended up adding bits, personal bits and then it became a book.”
He continues, “I never had any idea that it would have a life like this,” he says about the play which begins with the 10 year old Nigel living an almost idyllic lifestyle, to years later and the 16 year old Nigel, whose life takes a somewhat tragic turn of events when his mother very sadly passes away.
“I wrote about me,” he says quietly, “it was a very personal story, but what I didn’t take on board was how much it would affect other people.”
“I started getting letters from people and actually,” he pauses, “so many kids go through stuff. So many children come from families that for one reason or another, one major member of their family suddenly disappears from their life and someone else comes in. I hadn’t taken any of this on board that it was other people’s lives as well. And then wham, people were writing to me saying, excuse me but you’ve just written my life story.”
Watching Nigel and Giles sitting side by side on The Other Palace stage you can’t help but notice that they have adopted similar stances - they each have their legs crossed at the ankle and each have their hands clasped together and plonked on their laps. Henry and Nigel make a point of saying that whoever plays Nigel shouldn’t be doing an impersonation but, by the same token, Nigel seems almost delighted that he has spotted Giles do a little skip in one part of the play, which is exactly what he used to do as a boy.
“How could you have known that?” he exclaims to a smiling Giles.
Nigel is also clearly pleased to note that Marie Lawrence who plays his ‘chain smoking bitch’ of a stepmother, Joan, holds a cigarette in exactly the same way as the real Joan did and yet, she also could not have known. He is also thrilled that Lizzie Muncey, 'has found so many tiny little details' of his mother, whom she plays.
“How could you have known that?” he exclaims to a smiling Giles.
Nigel is also clearly pleased to note that Marie Lawrence who plays his ‘chain smoking bitch’ of a stepmother, Joan, holds a cigarette in exactly the same way as the real Joan did and yet, she also could not have known. He is also thrilled that Lizzie Muncey, 'has found so many tiny little details' of his mother, whom she plays.
Uncannily, it seems that Giles was destined to play Nigel. Coincidently, his cousin’s family own the townhouse in London that Nigel used to rent. It wasn’t until years later when Giles came to stay at the house, while he attended drama school, that he found out the room he was living in actually used to be Nigel’s kitchen!
Giles, it turns out, also enjoys hanging out in the kitchen.
“I love cooking,” he smiles (he’s very smiley) “it’s wonderful to make things for family and friends.” I ask him what his favourite thing to cook is. “Anything sweet,” is the instant reply.
Nigel clearly has a lot of respect for the actors playing out his story and I ask him if he would ever like to act himself. He responds with a very definite "No!”.
Justifying why he’ll probably be sticking to writing books and presenting cookery programmes in the future, he recalls the moment where he had just one line to say. Ironically, it was whilst filming the film version of Toast which starred Freddie Highmore and Helena Bonham Carter. He pauses for a moment, grimaces a little and replies with a simple, “It was terrifying!”
Interview: Kim Tobin
Facebook: @ToastPlay
Twitter: @ToastPlay
Tickets for Nigel Slater’s Toast are available from www.southendtheatres.org.uk or call the box office on 01702 351135
Giles, it turns out, also enjoys hanging out in the kitchen.
“I love cooking,” he smiles (he’s very smiley) “it’s wonderful to make things for family and friends.” I ask him what his favourite thing to cook is. “Anything sweet,” is the instant reply.
Nigel clearly has a lot of respect for the actors playing out his story and I ask him if he would ever like to act himself. He responds with a very definite "No!”.
Justifying why he’ll probably be sticking to writing books and presenting cookery programmes in the future, he recalls the moment where he had just one line to say. Ironically, it was whilst filming the film version of Toast which starred Freddie Highmore and Helena Bonham Carter. He pauses for a moment, grimaces a little and replies with a simple, “It was terrifying!”
Interview: Kim Tobin
Facebook: @ToastPlay
Twitter: @ToastPlay
Tickets for Nigel Slater’s Toast are available from www.southendtheatres.org.uk or call the box office on 01702 351135
The play continues at The Other Palace, London until 3rd August before it heads out on its UK Tour!