Tao of Glass at @sohoplace

The simple explanation is that this is a story with music about the making of this production and the Taoist ideas that inspired it.

To add to that the music is by Philip Glass and the writer/directot/performer is Phelim McDermott who had worked with Philip Glass previously on, amongst other things, several productions of Satyagraha and Akhnaten which I had seen and loved several times.

All that made Tao of Glass unmissable and I gladly paid £65 for my seat at @sohoplace, my first time there.

Given the nature of the narrative it is hand to describe sequentially, and that would serve no purpose anyway as it was not really a sequential story. The opening set the scene with Phelim McDermott talking from his seat in the audience as if he was also watching the show.

Narratively we heard various stories about his love of theatre, of Philip Glass' music, Taoist texts, an aborted opera and the show that replaced it, this one.

The narration was embellished with folded paper and puppetry, familiar from his production of Satyagraha, along with Philip Glass music composed for this show.

It was very much aimed at fans of Philip Glass, his music and themes he had explored before and as one of those I absolutely loved it. So did everyone else judging by the extended clapping and standing ovation at the end.