By Janet LaFonatine
Photography: Tristram Kenton
As the house lights go down in the Royal Exchange Theatre a single spotlight remains lit, picking out a middle-aged man in the front row, who seems oblivious to the light shining on him. A minute or so of confusion follows as the audience nervously giggle amongst themselves, wondering if this is some sort of malfunction until the man begins to speak, revealing himself to be Phelim McDermott – the director of the show, and as it turns out, the narrator and sole actor.
What follows is a beautiful tapestry of fragmented scenes that layer story, make-believe, philosophy, magic and musings on the nature of creativity. Ten new Philip Glass compositions accompany the visually arresting narrative, adding sublime layers of mood and texture to the storytelling. We learn that McDermott has had a lifelong obsession with creating a piece to Glass’s music and, aided by three puppeteers and a small ensemble of musicians, he acts out his journey through a collage of different vignettes, each enhanced by ingenious use of props and lighting: puppets formed by tissue paper, a self-playing piano, giant concentric metal rings that rise and fall above the stage, a cascade of sheet music tumbling from the lighting rig, a cat’s cradle of Sellotape that first encircles then traps McDermott. Each scene is astonishing in its design and execution.
There is a main thread that runs throughout the piece and joins together what on the surface look like disparate fragments. McDermott explains the Japanese art of ‘Kintsugi’, a technique whereby broken vases are repaired by a golden glue, thus making a new and more beautiful object out of broken pieces. As a metaphor for the show this works perfectly as the Tao of Glass was born out of an abandoned attempt to bring Maurice Sendak’s ‘In The Night Garden’ to the stage – a production that never saw the light of day due to Sendak’s passing just months after their initial production meetings.
Glass himself appears in the final scene to play piano and the standing ovation at the end is thoroughly deserved for this enchanting and brilliant story about our journey through life, the threads that hold ideas together and the music that is adored by millions worldwide.
“It was a photo that changed my life,” says Richard Davis at HOME café in the city centre. This picture is of Joy Division, taken by British photographer Kevin Cummins on Epping Walk Bridge in Hulme. The stark, steely images would go on to define the band and this part of the city’s legacy. It…
Based on Douglas Day Stewarts’ hit 80s romance, An Officer and A Gentleman takes to the Manchester Opera House stage to transport us into a timeless story of love, courage and redemption. This Curve production is a neon sensation of retro hits and escapism.
To celebrate 16 years of their music, The Maine take the road for a limited number of shows in the UK and Europe. After stops in Cologne and Amsterdam, tonight marks Manchester’s visit. Under the enigmatic ceiling of New Century Hall, a voice over the speakers orders the crowd to “adjust your enthusiasm in 5, 4, 3,…
The latest series to take Netflix by storm is the real-life story of Scottish comedian Richard Gadd. Baby Reindeer documents Gadd’s encounter with previously convicted stalker “Martha Scott”, detailing the disturbing series of events that would culminate in her eventual imprisonment.
Leave a reply