After the Rain – Review of 2025 Tarragon Theatre Production

After the Rain is an interesting musical that deals with family love and conflict, the story of a band, friendship, mentorship and the search for self-assertion. It has a rich collection of songs, of course, but also intimations and more about the making of music and the writing of songs.
The Tarragon Theatre has built seats on both sides of the theatre and there is a raised platform in the center. It is equipped with an excellent sound system and the actor/singers use mikes. In other words, we get superb acoustics.
The central character is Suzie (Annika Tupper), a lively host and talented musician who needs to find her own voice. That means she needs to break away from her parents, band leader Ashley (Andrew Penner) and her mother Jean (Deborah Hay). Suzie, in addition to musical talent, has charm and humour and is able to engage the audience and evoke rich laughter.
Suzie is forced to take a job as a piano instructor when her father is unable to fulfil his obligation. She has to teach a mature student, Donna (Deborah Hay) who wants to learn to play one one piece, Erik Satie’s Gymnopedie No.1.
The cast consists of Suzie and her parents and the drummer JD Kinkel (Joe "Jojo" Bowden) and guitarist Mickey Mintz (Brandon McGibbon). Penner doubles as Donna’s husband Frank and Donna’s son Julian is played by Shaemus Swets.
Rose Napoli has created some distinct and interesting characters that are sympathetic even in periods of conflict. Suzie is a talented musician, charming and lovable. But she comes into conflict with her parents because she needs to spread her wings. Her father is also a talented musician, from a previous age, but he is assertive, sings well but disagrees with his daughter. The same can be said of Jean and kudos are given to Deborah Hay. Hay plays Donna, a woman of a certain age with little time to waste. She is decent and wonderful. Her son Julian starts off as a duffus but matures through music and Swets is superb.
In addition to the superb and well-coordinated cast, the show has high production values which are essential in any production but perhaps more so in a musical. The set design by David Boechler with the raised playing area, as I mentioned, has places for two pianos, one baby grand the other small keyboard played by Suzie and Jean respectively. Sound Designer Brian Kenty has set up the equipment for maximum effect and listenability. Lighting Designer Logan Raju Cracknell provides judicious lighting for the music and singing and the other emotional levels of the play.
Donna must do some fast costume changes and entrances on the stage and again we have intelligent pacing. All of which adds to the huge responsibilities of Director Marie Farsi and Music Director Rachel O’Brien. They manage their spheres with consummate professionalism and talent.
In the end we see the creation of songs, the preparation and disagreements of a new album for the group and the humour and drama of family dynamics as well as the story of Donna, Frank and Julian.
After The Rain by Rose Napoli (book) and Suzy Wilde (music and lyrics), in a production by Tarragon Theatre and The Musical Stage Company, will run until June 22, 2025, at the Tarragon Theatre 30 Bridgman Ave.
Toronto, Ontario. www.tarragontheatre.com

Scene from  After the Rain. Photo by Dahlia Katz.

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