Phelim McDermott in Tao of Glass [Johan Persson]

TAO OF GLASS
@ Soho Place
3.5 stars

In Tao of Glass, Phelim McDermott (co-founder of the legendary Improbable) adopts a tone best suited to a children’s show.

Sitting in the audience, he tells us with wide-eyed wonder which actors he saw when growing up; he comes across as an affable presenter from the old children’s TV show Play Away. McDermott’s love of theatre is clear, but this “storytelling tapestry” is supposed to be about creativity and the American composer Philip Glass.

McDermott, a self-professed fan, describes how he once stalked the composer in Covent Garden. He went on to direct acclaimed opera productions of Glass’s work in London and New York. The pair were going to collaborate on children’s author Maurice Sendak’s picture book In the Night Kitchen, but it never came off.

Instead, we have this meandering tale, “part-concert, part-performance”, with a baffling choice of subjects. Among other things, McDermott references the Japanese art of Kintsugi, flotation tanks and Taoism, laboriously explaining each strand.

Unfortunately, the storybook tone persists and we descend into Blue Peter territory with the use of sticky tape and paper puppetry.

There seems little to connect these mini-lectures other than the music of Glass, performed by a talented troupe of musicians, and McDermott’s mantra to go with the flow.

Originally produced for Manchester International Festival in 2019, Tao of Glass is clearly meant as a homage, but it’s too much about McDermott – an artist I generally admire. Glass appeared at the Manchester premiere; here, he is represented by various miniature pianos.

It’s a shame because the puppeteers and musicians are superb, but McDermott’s delivery hits the wrong register. Towards the end we watch him supine on the stage, listening to the artist he loves. Unless you’re a fan, though, it’s like watching paint dry.

Until 12 September
sohoplace.org/