Tim Hortons made a musical

Shows like Community and 30 Rock have been making fun of moments when advertising exits containment and gets a little too human (literally, in Community’s case) for decades now, usually to great comedic effect. But real life is becoming far more like a TV show, and those original Subway jokes don’t seem so far-fetched—or all that funny—anymore. Today’s real-life update is that Canadian coffee giant Tim Hortons trying to pass off their new branding musical as a real work of art, and you know what? Sure. At this point, why not?

The Last Timbit—a title referring to the Timmie’s version of a donut hole—was initially described as “what” and “this is absurd” and “is this a joke?” by Jake Epstein, one of its intrepid cast members, according to CBC. But, he insists, “I joined this show for a workshop before this production, and immediately I was like, ‘This is the real deal.’”

At the suggestion of a marketing firm, the musical was loosely inspired by the true story of a group of travelers stranded inside a Tim Hortons during a 2010 blizzard, who end up fighting over the titular last Timbit. (Don’t worry this isn’t a The Mist-type situation… we assume.) The creative team apparently had “free reign” over the book and lyrics, except when the firm wanted them to mention more savory treats and less sweet ones, of course. Sure!

But… why? As the CBC explains, the coffee chain was absorbed into a new parent company based in Brazil in 2014, making the iconic Canadian brand not technically Canadian. On the surface, The Last Timbit is a celebration of the company’s 60th anniversary, but it’s also, somehow, a plea for newfound relevancy among the Roots-sporting crowd. The songs are, admittedly, pretty catchy. Check out “What Would You Do For A Timbit?” below, but remember, if it gets stuck in your head, you’re playing right into their hands:

No matter how you spin it, it’s hard not to see the bitter coffee flowing through the holes in this gambit. “There’s a kind of proof of concept at this intersection between marketing and new musical theatre,” Toronto-based theater critic, Aisling Murphy, told the CBC. “Let’s try it out, let’s see how it goes. I think it’s a really interesting experiment at the very least, and I’m cheering it on as much as I can.” While she was referring to the lifeline brand partnerships like this might provide for struggling creatives in the future, it’s a dire situation when this is something to cheer on at all.

In a preview showing for influencers attended by the CBC, playwright Nick Green did not help his cause. “Thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate you using your following to extend the reach of this really special product—er, uh, show—for us,” he flubbed in his intro.

So is the Tim Hortons musical… good? That comes down to personal opinion, and a willingness to look past the fact that even without the branding angle, it’s still a musical about donut holes. Ontarians can decide for themselves now, during the musical’s weeklong run in Toronto.