Tarragon’s artistic director reimagines Much Ado About Nothing

Richard Rose

Ask Richard Rose, director, producer and, since 2002, artistic director of Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, what prompted him to bring an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing to the Tarragon, a company long dedicated to producing original Canadian works, and like all good storytellers he takes you on a journey. 

First he winds back to the early days of his career. Fresh out of York University’s theatre school, he worked as a lighting designer for local dance companies. “There was a greater need for designers than for directors”, he explains, “and I was good at it.” 

While touring with Menaka Thakkar’s Classical Indian Dance company Rose was amazed by the complexities of the rhythms and captivated by the fluid coupling of the spiritual and sensual elements of this form of religious dance. “I was a boy from white, Protestant Sudbury, who knew nothing about East Indian culture”, explains Rose about the unexpected gift of discovering ambiguity in art. 

Not long after, Rose directed Much Ado About Nothing in Barrie, Ont.  As he worked on the sections of the play in which characters are masked or veiled, Rose was struck by the similarities between these two hidden states. In both cases, characters become anonymous, which permits them to be bawdy or irreverent or reflective. Rose recalls that the closing scenes when the bride and her entourage come on stage veiled were especially interesting to him because they depict how the young lover, Claudio, will make restitution for the fatal harm he has done to Hero, the woman he was to marry. 

Rose suggests that Much Ado About Nothing appears to be a comic romp based on a familiar romantic plot yet it raises questions about tradition, family and what it means to fall in love. Deceit of self and others is sprinkled throughout the story. Clever characters are fools; fools turn out to be clever.

In this current adaptation Rose investigated loss of trust and restoration of trust. He claims that at this point in his life he perceives falling in love as a time of vulnerability and loss of identity. He says that when we form a relationship based on attraction rather than knowledge of the other we have nothing solid on which to base trust. Unsure of himself, Claudio allows his evil half brother to deceive him. The consequences of his weakness are tragic.

Though Rose’s musings are serious, his adaptation of Much Ado about Nothing is bold and zany. There are a number of changes: Most of the characters are renamed and some of the speeches are delivered in Hindi with surtitles. The Beatrice and Benedict characters are important in this version but not the main focus. The story takes place in the East Indian community of contemporary Brampton, Ont. The play is Bollywoodized. The result of these ingredients is a reimagined play that nevertheless is true to Shakespeare’s tale and wit. 

Venturing into alternative theatrical territory is not unusual for Rose. During his over 20-year tenure as the artistic director of Necessary Angel Theatre, he preferred a figurative approach to theatre and sought venues outside the confines of the usual box. His larger-than-life theatrical vision won him acclaim and a following.

His work continues to receive critical commendation. Rose has won four Doras and in 2013 he was awarded the $50 000 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts.

So, why is this production suitable for the Tarragon? Rose describes a recent trip to Brampton, Ont. During his visit with relatives, who were longtime residents of the town, he was astounded by the changes around him. The town had grown, the population had greatly expanded and become diverse. Many of the residents were Canadians of Asian origin. A mixture of generations, traditions and languages, the town reflected the contemporary Canadian mosaic. 

In his broadly comic version of Much Ado about Nothing, Rose is not offering a portrait of life on a prairie farm or a maritime village, but he is definitely depicting Canadian life. Rose’s production  set in the East Indian community of Brampton, is a particular example of intergenerational struggles, gender struggles and romantic struggles that humorously mirror the concerns common to the diverse cultures that compose our society.

Much Ado about Nothing runs until May 31 at Tarragon's Mainspace. www.tarragontheatre.com