Freddie Haberfellner
How long does it take to toast a piece of bread in a hotel toaster? Perhaps about as long as it takes to list the various definitions of the word ‘toast’. However, this show isn’t really about toast but about delayed emotional responses, autism diagnoses and coming into your queerness.
Amy Matthews, also known as Any Mattress (go watch her show for context on this) performs a masterclass in stand-up in her pyjamas whilst offering a sensitive and nuanced deep dive into how she experiences and processes the world.
She starts off by explaining that she’s been struggling with anger or, rather, the lack thereof. Her emotional response to things that happen to her tends to be delayed – she likens this to how long it takes to toast a piece of bread in a hotel toaster – due to a condition called alexithymia. As a result, anger as well as other big emotions don’t tend to surface when they’re supposed to – for example, when an ex cheated on her, or when a bird pooped on her during her grandmother’s funeral – but rather in less infuriating situations, such as when someone placed their backpack on an empty seat in a packed train. Whilst this struggle with emotional responses is typical in neurodivergent people, Matthews only received an official autism diagnosis very recently.
She strikes an impressive balance in covering her personal journey, sharing facts and observations and still being utterly hilarious throughout. Even myths, like that an increase in diagnoses is a sign of neurodivergence being trendy at the moment, are dispelled with the help of humour.
Throughout, the speed at which Matthews performs is impressive, if at moments almost too fast to keep up with. The only interruptions are a handful of moments throughout the show when she picks up a prop book with the same title as the show and reads out various definitions of the word toast. Whilst these seemed loosely connected to the themes in the show, they did not add much aside from a quick breather between the rapid-fire jokes.
Similarly, the very end of the show came with a real vibe change as Matthews announced she’d attempt to express her anger through a Lily Allen-inspired spoken word song concoction. The sentiment in this was very genuine and touching, however whilst the writing throughout the rest of the show was incredibly precise and polished, this final section felt almost awkward. Perhaps this was on purpose as Matthews had expressed her struggle with expressing her emotions throughout; it makes sense that she’d be very smooth in her delivery of jokes but less skilled when voicing anger. However, this might have worked better if there’d been more glimpses into this side of her throughout the show rather than just being sprung on the audience at the very end.
Overall, though, there can be no doubt that Matthews is an incredibly skilled comedian with an eye for the unusual and a knack for dissecting sensitive issues with humour but without dumbing them down. Definitions of Toast is a show for anyone who loves the type of comedy that has something to say about the world, as well as anyone queer and/ or neurodivergent.
Recommended Drink: A glass of pinot, though I’d recommend sipping it slowly as you’ll want an at least semi-clear mind to keep up with Matthews quick wit.
Catch Amy Matthews: Definitions of Toast at Monkey Barrel 1 @ Monkey Barrel Comedy between August 5-30 (not 12, 19, 26) at various times (60 minutes). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Box Office.
Maia Kahn
Hannah Hamilton
