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In the last year, Tim Hortons has given home-seeking Canadians a boat ride, revived its popular Dutchie donut and launched flatbread pizzas.
But perhaps the biggest surprise comes this summer, just after its 60th birthday on May 17, when the company moves into an environment so unexpected for a fast-food giant that even its executives are anticipating some people’s initial reactions are: “What?!” ”
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The showstopper will come in the form of The Last Timbit, a musical for which Tim Hortons has assembled a who’s who of Canadian artists, which will be performed at Toronto’s Elgin Theater this June.
The production is loosely based on a 2010 snowstorm that was so bad that motorists on a highway east of Sarnia, Ontario were forced to hide in cars and others had to wait out the bad weather at a local Tim Hortons.
Adapting the story into a theatrical production was the idea of Gut, a marketing firm that Tims hired to find a way to celebrate the anniversary year.
Tims was determined to give Gut as much room for creativity as possible, so it wasn’t even stipulated that the company had to organize an event. The chain simply said it needed to find “something with heart” and that would reflect the fast-food restaurant’s relationship with its customers, recalled Hope Bagozzi, the chain’s chief marketing officer.
When she was nominated for a play, even she was surprised.
“What the hell do we know about putting something like this together in a truly professional way,” was her response.
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“Our agency is not their specialty. It’s certainly not ours.”
Even though it was new territory and Tims had to deal with talent far outside his comfort zone, she was “cautiously optimistic” about the idea.
“It’s a bit crazy but I’m sure it felt great and was testament to the ambition we had,” she said.
So Bagozzi and her staff set out to make it happen.
Among their first calls was Michael Rubinoff, a Toronto lawyer and theater producer who was filming the story of passengers on planes diverted to Gander, Nfld. after the September 11th attacks in New York to the hit musical “Come From Away”.
“We didn’t think he would actually come on board. We just thought we’d try to ask his brain, “Are we crazy?” Should we? “How would we do it?” Bagozzi recalled.
Rubinoff wasn’t fazed by the unlikely caller. Although many would assume he was shocked to hear that a fast food brand wanted to enter the theater, he didn’t find it unusual because “Tim’s has been a part of Broadway for many years.”
“The Tims logo is on one of the sets in ‘The Book of Mormon’ that people don’t realize, and of course Tims plays a really important role in the musical ‘Come From Away’ that I’m involved in.” Rubinoff said.
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“After the opening number, the first line is ‘I start my day at Tim Hortons’ and we have a scene at Tim Hortons and we come back to it, so Tim Hortons in musical theater didn’t seem as outlandish to me as…” it could apply to other people .”
In addition to Rubinoff, other talent began to flow in.
Nick Green, the playwright behind “Casey and Diana,” wrote the screenplay and Anika and Britta Johnson of “Life After” created the music and lyrics, including a song called “What Would You Do for a Timbit?”
The cast includes Stratford and Shaw Festival regulars Andrew Broderick and DeAnn deGruijter, as well as Broadway stars Kimberly-Ann Truong, Jake Epstein and Chilina Kennedy.
Most were surprised that Tims was behind the piece, as Tims focuses on expanding its afternoon and evening sales throughout the year. When they saw the caliber of theater talent on board, they realized: “This is going to be something they’ll enjoy being a part of,” Rubinoff said.
The production comes as arts organizations struggle to maintain corporate funding. Last summer, Bell stopped funding the Toronto International Film Festival after 28 years as a sponsor. In March, the Bank of Nova Scotia dropped its title sponsorship of the Contact Photography Festival in Toronto.
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Hot Docs, Canada’s largest documentary film festival, also warned that its future was in jeopardy.
Such struggles weren’t lost on Rubinoff, who called The Last Timbit a “huge investment.”
“We only get better and strengthen those skills when we have the opportunity to actually do the thing, and this is the opportunity to do the thing,” he said.
He approaches the project with the same seriousness as any other theater production. It’s been months of work perfecting the script and reading texts, and rehearsals will begin soon.
The music has already become a catchy tune.
“These songs were permanent. I tell you, I can’t sleep without hearing the songs,” he said. “I wake up and hear the song, so I know it’s a great sign.”
Although he doesn’t want to give too many clues about the tunes or plot of the piece, he said that the core of the plot is a mother and daughter affected by the storm. (The final Timbit they are vying for is a Birthday Timbit.)
And although the piece is intended to combine humor and heart, he said: “No one is going to dress up and dance like a Timbit, but I don’t want to say no to anything.”
This will include a tour of the production, premiering to Tims franchisees visiting Toronto and then continuing with five shows open to the public. Ticket sales begin on Friday.
Those who snag seats will be able to purchase Tims-related merchandise and likely find a concession stand featuring Tims favorites, including Timbits, at Roots Corp., which also serves as the play’s wardrobe partner, Bagozzi said.
“They won’t dance away,” Rubinoff agreed. “You can enjoy them.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:QSR, TSX:ROOT)
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