SALT LAKE CITY — Meanwhile Park’s summer playwright prize winner, A French Toast by Matthew Ivan Bennett, is a splendid production in a lovely space. Meanwhile Park is the conception of Salt Lake resident, Jeff Paris, who endeavored to create a performance space in his intimate backyard some years ago. A light comedy, set at a small bed and breakfast in the South of France, the show, directed by Jason Bowcutt, centers on four people who connect over their complicated histories, and begin to break down destructive but long-held beliefs, patterns and rigidity.
The space is literally a backyard of a home on a residential street, accessed by the clearly marked and pleasantly lit driveway. Audiences are advised that the space opens at 8:30pm for mingling with complimentary drinks and snacks, and that the show will begin “as the light fades” about an hour later. About 100 chairs are fitted tightly into a sunken courtyard, facing an elevated cement patio connected to the back of the ivy-sheathed house. The space is delightfully whimsical. From stained glass ornaments dangling from a small pergola, to a weathervane atop the small garage, shaped like a balloon animal, the space is nothing short of magical.
Though quite evenly balanced between the four characters, the script centers on Lucy, played by April Fossen, who has come to France from Utah, with her daughter Cassie, played by Ali Lente, to attend her ex-husband’s wedding to his handsome (and wealthy) new husband. In a theater community where stories centering on the predominant Latter Day Saint (Mormon) religious culture tend to extremes of unmitigated praise and adoration on one hand, or harsh condemnation on the other, it is refreshing to experience a show wherein the central character’s Mormon-ness is treated as a realistic and nuanced backdrop rather than a caricature for praise or mockery. True to his program note, Bennett clearly wants the best for his characters and doesn’t have the capacity to treat them with meanness.
Technical elements are not overpowering. Lee Hollaar’s lighting consists of two light trees positioned behind the audience, and provides ample lighting for the space. Desmond Dutcher’s sound design offers up light jazz music with French lyrics playing softly pre and post show. Dawn McFarland’s costuming is simple and appropriate, with Lucy’s lovely summer dresses meriting particular mention.
The show begins as promised, in the fading evening light, with the quiet entrance of Darby Mest as Yasmin, a B&B guest. who sits to one side, silently writing in a notebook. This quietude ends abruptly with the loud and dramatic entrance of April Fossen as Lucy, with Lente as her daughter Cassie, other B&B guests, and Matthew Sincell following shortly thereafter as Gabriel, the proprietor. This raucous and tumultuous scene capably introduces the characters and sets the stage for the escapades ahead.
Fossen is in her element with Lucy. Having recently seen her play Ethel Banks in Parker Theatre’s Director’s Studio production of Barefoot in the Park, Fossen is clearly adept at playing a boisterous and overpowering mother. But the journey Fossen takes with Lucy is deeper and more moving. She enters the scene, loudly, emotionally injured, but still rigid in the ideology that has always protected her, even as the walls of her prior life are crumbling about her. Fossen creates a likeable character, despite her unsubtle tendency to condemn those around her for not living up to her ideals. Fossen handles Lucy’s shortcomings with grace, allowing her character the space to begin to overcome her flaws.
Sincell as Gabriel is outstanding and his comic timing impeccable. His French dialect is faultless and a credit to Dialect Coach Sarah Shippobotham. Sincell’s well-developed character, wounded in a similar way as Lucy, is earnest and lovable from the outset. At first it seems implausible that this sincere, generous and affable man is drawn to someone as initially off-putting as Lucy, but somehow with the timeless power of opposites attracting, and a healthy dose of trauma bonding, it works.
The relationship also develops quickly between Lente’s Cassie and Mest’s Yasmin—almost unconvincingly fast. Yet, given the shortness and comic nature of the piece, and the cliché of fast-moving lesbian relationships, I was inclined to suspend disbelief embracing the charm of their interactions. Mest’s somewhat reticent Yasmin serves as a foil to the brashness of Lente’s Cassie, helping Cassie towards her own self-awareness and character progression. Both actors are strong in their respective roles.
Jason Bowcutt’s direction is restrained—he lets the movement arise organically, then gives it a gentle nudge in the right direction. Bowcutt takes time in moments without dialogue, allowing the characters to just be and the audience to just observe. A particularly well-directed wordless scene takes us on a sight-seeing journey through France with Lucy and Gabriel, in and around the space, overlapped with a silent scene between Cassi and Yasmin back at the B&B. He expertly uses the nooks and crannies of the space—including a greenery-lined alcove to the side—for all kinds of hilarity.
Bennett’s writing of Lucy is worth a final mention. Despite her recent personal relationship trauma, Lucy is initially presented as the self-righteous matriarch, whose benevolent condemnation of loved ones and strangers alike is unmovable, and perhaps all too familiar to those hailing from a family culture where being right is more important than being curious or kind. Hence, Lucy’s progression by the end of the short work is simultaneously far-fetched, and full of hope. The moment Lucy finally lowers her defenses and listens, with curiosity and compassion rather than judgement and dismissal, to her daughter’s vulnerable description of what it feels like to be on the receiving end of her mother’s qualified “love”, is heart-rending. Then, truly hearing Cassie, perhaps for the first time in her life, Lucy responds with simple, sincere empathy. It is a rare moment of self-awareness; profound and hopeful.
The script, though delightful, does feel a tad under-developed, and at 65 minutes long invites further exploration of these characters and relationships. Clearly Bennett has a knack for language, snappy dialogue, and poignant comedy. It is clever, funny, and thought- provoking.
A minor issue I found with the experience is the tightness of the seating. The audience is encouraged to mix, mingle, and make new friends before the show, an end to which small spaces can be conducive, but this space is packed so tight that once seated at the top of the social hour, mingling is impractical. It might be more inducive to the community experience the creators desire, if there were fewer seats (and more performances), or if the guests were encouraged to mingle in the driveway or front yard before being invited to take their seats just before the show begins.
This issue is minor, as the overall event is well put together. From the professionally produced tickets and glossy program, down to the thoughtfully assembled box of fancy snacks, the evening is deliberately and lovingly curated. The experience, together with a smartly written and expertly produced show is truly enchanting. I highly recommend getting one of the few remaining tickets to A French Toast, you won’t regret it.
MORE INFO: A FRENCH TOAST is currently playing at Meanwhile Park (Salt Lake City, UT 84105) through July 19, 2026 and begins “as the light fades”. Tickets are $46. For more details, visit: https://www.meanwhilepark.com/events.
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