{"id":114474,"date":"2025-05-21T14:40:52","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T18:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=114474"},"modified":"2025-05-23T10:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T14:59:10","slug":"preview-creators-rose-napoli-suzy-wilde-talk-rain-world-premiere-tarragon-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/05\/21\/preview-creators-rose-napoli-suzy-wilde-talk-rain-world-premiere-tarragon-theatre\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Creators Rose Napoli And Suzy Wilde Talk About After The Rain \u2014 A World Premiere At Tarragon Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Actress\/singer
Actress\/singer Annika Tupper performs as Suzie in After The Rain, Tarragon Theatre, by Rose Napoli & Suzy Wilde (Photo: Mike Meehan\u00a0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tarragon Theatre and The Musical Stage Company are presenting the world premiere of the musical After The Rain, a new Canadian musical. The piece is written by Rose Napoli, with music and lyrics by Suzy Wilde.<\/p>\n

The show runs in the Tarragon Theatre Mainspace from May 27 to June 22, 2025, opening June 4.<\/p>\n

The Show<\/h2>\n

The premise of the show is simple \u2014 deceptively simple as described on paper. It centres around the character of Suzie Evans Stone, a struggling composer who\u2019s making money secretly giving piano lessons, all while singing backup in her parents\u2019 band.<\/p>\n

She takes on a new student, and in the process, ends up changing her life. The student, an older beginner, insists on learning and mastering only one piece: Erik Satie\u2019s Gymnopedie No.1.<\/p>\n

The story follows Suzie touring with her parents\u2019 band, as she makes new relationships and discoveries about the people close to her, and helps her student make sense of Satie\u2019s seminal work. There are family troubles, life’s complexities, and, of course, a lot of music. It\u2019s a subtle story about the ups and downs of life, how a song evolves, and how making music together has an undeniable healing power.<\/p>\n

Music also tells the story. You can hear a sample of it here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We spoke to Rose Napoli<\/strong> and Suzy Wilde<\/strong> about the show.<\/p>\n

\"Graphic
Graphic for the musical theatre production After The Rain courtesy of Tarragon Theatre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Interview<\/h2>\n

Toronto-based Suzy Wilde is a songwriter, composer, producer, arranger, teacher, choir director, and live performer. She works in both the live music and musical theatre communities.<\/p>\n

Canadian playwright and actor Rose Napoli is an alumnus of Nightwood Theatre’s Write From the Hip Program. As an actor, she has worked extensively in TV and film as well as on stage, and received a Dora nomination in 2016 for Outstanding Performance, among other accolades.<\/p>\n

It’s not the first time that Wilde and Napoli have teamed up. Their project The Carrette Sisters, part of a collective adaptation of the works of Mavis Gallant titled Retold, was nominated for a Dora Award. After The Rain received Tarragon Theatre\u2019s Bulmash-Seigel prize and the Aubrey and Marla Dan Fund prize for new musicals.<\/p>\n

How did the story come about? It seems… pretty specific to have been dreamed up out of the blue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m not a musician. I’m a music lover. I took piano as a child. I took piano lessons, and did not have the patience in it,\u201d says Rose.<\/p>\n

Her own story resonates with the student character of the story, who is a middle-aged novice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could definitely draw off those experiences that I had,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Rose has great rhythm,\u201d adds Wilde.<\/p>\n

Wilde relates how After the Rain came about.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started with a song, an old song that I had written and done nothing with,\u201d she begins.<\/p>\n

The song was about two people she\u2019d met who had become her music students. It would be a matter of years before she got around to playing the song for Rose, who immediately recognized the potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said, this is a show,\u201d Suzy recalls. \u201cBut really, the show is, we always say it’s about the life you have to live to write a single song.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that song is called After The Rain,\u201d Napoli adds.<\/p>\n

In other words, there\u2019s a truthful basis for the show, and a lot of dramatization of the truth in the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re never explicit of which is which \u2014 and yes, it is based on a number of true stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the show, they\u2019ve assembled a created band, and the musicians offered their own anecdotes which became part of the material.<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of Canadian musicians will see this show and recognize stories that we\u2019ve extrapolated from their truth,\u201d Napoli says.<\/p>\n

\"The
The cast of Tarragon Theatre’s After The Rain (Photo courtesy of Tarragon Theatre)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why Satie?<\/h3>\n

Erik Satie\u2019s Gymnopedie No.1 is a work that any student of the piano will recognize.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the characters has a beautiful meditation on the song as she’s actually playing it on the piano,\u201d Napoli says.<\/p>\n

As she plays, she talks about the piece.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems as though it’s quite simple when you listen to it,\u201d Rose says.<\/p>\n

But, that simplicity is deceptive. There\u2019s a lot that goes into being able to create that air of peacefulness and ease.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe song serves as a really beautiful metaphor about what a lot of the characters in the show are looking for,\u201d Napoli adds. It\u2019s the perfect way to capture the spirit of the play.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s such a pop song in a way,\u201d Suzy adds. \u201cWe had a great time learning about Satie and what he was like during the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lead character is intrigued by the fact that Satie failed music school, and that his teachers noted his \u2018laziness\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe seems like a funny, quirky sort of person,\u201d Wilde says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe openly said that he had no desire to be successful,\u201d Napoli points out. \u201cHe found transgression in tranquility.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea that such a subtle and simple sounding piece of music could be so powerful and affecting is the point.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic doesn’t have to be in your face,\u201d Rose says. \u201cMusic can be life changing and be quiet and simple at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

At many concerts nowadays, the conductor will talk to the audience, giving context and biographical details to better understand the music that\u2019s about to be performed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think in a way, that’s what we’re endeavouring to do with our show,\u201d Napoli says. Through the story of coaching one person on one musical work, they take about two hours to build up the context, including the people who surrounded and influenced the composer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels that there’s so many layers of affect in the show, that we’re understanding one woman trying to learn Satie \u2014 but the audience as well is learning,\u201d Rose says. \u201cThose stories really enrich your experience of that music.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show also looks to demystify the music, and prove that even a short piece of music can move you as a listener \u2014 the composer\u2019s whole life, essentially, goes into each work, no matter how simple or brief.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really, with our show, we wanted to democratize the music. We wanted to communicate that music is not a virtuosic thing,\u201d Napoli explains. \u201cThey can be equally moved by simplicity as by virtuosity.\u201d She points out that it\u2019s also about underscoring the sense of community that comes from the act of making music. \u201cIt’s a special thing regardless of one’s music ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen somebody sits down to write a song it’s coming out of that person, it’s also coming out of the person they spoke to five minutes ago, and someone they knew ten years ago. It’s such a domino effect,\u201d Suzy says.<\/p>\n

As she points out, it was a woman who asked for piano lessons to learn one single song that sparked all of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd because of her idea, a song was created, a show was created,\u201d Wilde says. \u201cLittle tiny seeds from anyone can really grow into something special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means that we\u2019re all artists,\u201d Rose adds. One of the songs in the show involves a woman singing about her mother, and recalling that she would sing while she swept the floors. \u201cI did not grow up in a family that would have called themselves artists,\u201d she says. Nonetheless, there was singing and music. \u201cThere are so many people out there who are filled with artistic sensibility. I think this show wants to pay homage to the artistry of those people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suzy also points out the role of music education and the way it\u2019s essentially vanishing from public schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a city where music in schools is starting to crumble<\/a>, it seems more and more important to have those conversations,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey need to come to see our show,\u201d Rose says of city politicians.<\/p>\n

Hitting the road…<\/h3>\n

The show will be touring to the National Arts Centre in January<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur desire is to continue to take this show out on the road and travel it. We do think, like Satie, there is something deeply important about this show,\u201d Napoli says. \u201cIt feels like it’s big and it’s small at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Above all, it\u2019s a human story of discovery and community, as well as delving into the music and what music performance is, without getting on a soapbox.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike Satie, it feels like something quite simple, and yet quite transgressive.\u201d<\/p>\n