In celebration of the 60th anniversary of Tim Hortons, the company tapped Olivier Award winning and Tony nominated producer who created Come From Away, Michael Rubinoff, to produce the new Canadian musical The Last Timbit. Starring Chilina Kennedy, who played Carole King in the musical Beautiful on Broadway, and Degrassi: The Next Generation alum Jake Epstein, The Last Timbit promises to be a musical like you’ve never seen before.
“We’re going to surprise people in the best possible way,” Rubinoff told Yahoo Canada. “I think people are going to really react to the music.”
“There’s uptempo, really catchy songs. There’s some beautiful power ballads and I am really convinced people are going to be leaving the theatre humming and singing the songs.”
The Last Timbit is inspired by a real story from 2010, when people in Sarnia, Ont., were trapped in a local Tim Hortons store for almost 24 hours during a blizzard.
In the musical, while theses strangers wait out a snowstorm, they come together in a unique exploration of connection and community, while also competing to get their hands on the last Timbit, a Birthday Cake Timbit, to be specific.
“At the centre of this we have a mother and a teenage daughter that are going through a rough patch, which I think is relatable to parents and teenagers about figuring out those relationships,” Rubinoff teased. “We’ve got best friends that have flown in to attend what is the party of the year and their cab driver has ditched them, and they have a desire to try and get out, and get to this party. I think they find a lot of comic relief and a lot of fun for us.”
In terms of what appealed to Rubinoff to come on board this project, the famed producer stressed that Tim Hortons has actually been a staple in Broadways shows.
“Come From Away has represented Tim Hortons after the opening number, the first scene is in a Tim Hortons,” he highlighted. “The other Broadway show … that has a Tim Hortons logo in their backdrop, which people find as surprising, The Book of Mormon.”
“Tim Hortons has been a part of the Broadway musical so, to me, to get a chance to work with this iconic brand to help tell a story, a Canadian story, was so thrilling. It was a really exciting opportunity.”
While there’s certainly a marketing element of The Last Timbit, there is still power and impact in a company like Tim Hortons funding theatre in Canada, creating jobs for all these talented artists and theatre crews.
“What’s been really extraordinary for me on this journey is the fact that I believe so deeply in our Canadian talent,” Rubinoff said. “Tims really wanted to find a novel way to celebrate their 60th anniversary and in doing that, they also found a really wonderful way to support artists.”
“What that has accomplished that I think people will see in the show is that when we give our talent and our creatives the support they deserve, it’s extraordinary what they can create. And when they are able to work at the top of their game, I think the outcome is really inspiring.”
But for Rubinoff, that did also mean a quick trip to Tim Hortons for a coffee turned into more of a research project.
“Tim Hortons are centres of community all across the country,” he said. “These are people coming together to talk about really exciting things in their lives, really difficult things in their lives, have their children gather, and they’re just people from all walks of life that you really see this Canadian tapestry.”
“I think the writers have have captured a lot of that and people are going to see that on stage. … For me, as a producer, it was really heartwarming just to not run in and grab some Timbits and a coffee and run out, but you sit down and sort of look around and see so much of your community surrounded. … I have to say it was great research. It was fun research.”
It’s expected that The Last Timbit will likely attract attention from people who have never been to a musical production, and maybe would never actually think about seeing live theatre, but there’s this connected Canadaiana that many people across the country will identify with, while also supporting live theatre.
“In a time where we’re more and more isolated and connected to our devices. I don’t think anything beats coming together in-person to experience live theatre,” Rubinoff said. “I don’t think there’s anything as thrilling and unique as consuming culture together as a community.”
“I think that’s what excites me about The Last Timbit. But lots of people have an affection for Tim Hortons who may have never been to a musical, … have never been to the theatre before, and I’m really excited about them falling in love with the theatre and hopefully using this as a jumping off point to go see more of it. So we can’t wait to welcome audiences.”
The Last Timbit is playing at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto from June 26 to June 30
