High Society, Sharp Wit & Unseen Voices: Jovanni Sy’s The Tao of the World Premieres at Stratford
Courtesy of Stratford Festival
IMages Courtesy of Stratford Festival, Photography by Dariane Sanche.
August 2 – September 26, 2026 at Tom Patterson Theatre, Stratford
From left: Manami Hara as Lady Helena Yu, Karthik Kadam as Devan Pillay, Agnes Tong as Arabella Flynn and Nestor Lozano Jr. as Toto, The Tao of the World. Stratford Festival 2026. Photo: Dariane Sanche.
A risqué and luxurious new comedy has taken centre stage at the Tom Patterson Theatre as The Tao of the World makes its anticipated world première at Stratford Festival. Following the success of his critically acclaimed co-creation Salesman in China, writer and director Jovanni Sy 施崇梵 returns to the Stratford stage with a vibrant production that weaves together love, loyalty, and ambition among Singapore’s ultra-wealthy elite.
Loosely inspired by William Congreve’s 1700 Restoration classic The Way of the World, Sy’s laugh-out-loud comedy turns a high-fashion, contemporary lens on high society. Originally conceived during Sy’s MFA thesis in 2021, the play evolved as he reflected on the post-pandemic world. Observing how society rushed to return to the status quo while overlooking the frontline and working-class individuals who kept communities afloat, Sy sought to reimagine the Restoration genre. The result is a brilliant fusion of 17th-century theatrical wit and contemporary Asian romantic comedy, where the staff quietly observes every indiscretion, holding a lens to the quiet power dynamics operating behind closed doors.
“The Tao of the World is my homage to Restoration comedy. It celebrates the joy of being alive and the absurdities of falling in love. At the same time, it questions what restoration means. Is it more than the resumption of the status quo?”
SYNOPSIS
Singaporean socialite Arabella Flynn discovers her former lover Edward Lim intends to marry her younger cousin, Millicent Tan, and makes plans to intervene. Before long, Arabella’s schemes draw in her mother, Lady Helena Yu, and her lifelong confidant, Devan, while her increasingly desperate efforts unleash chaos for everyone involved. All the while, the family’s staff, unnoticed by their privileged employers, quietly observe every twist, turn and indiscretion.
來自星加坡的社交名媛Arabella Flynn意外發現他的前度男友林愛華Edward Lim有意迎娶自己表妹陳美莉Millicent Tan，遂打算加以阻止；但她很快就受到自己母親余海倫夫人Lady Helena Yu以及她閨蜜Devan注意。急得跺腳的她做事愈發險象橫生，所有人都避不了被捲入這場大風暴；與此同時，家僕們就在主人不知情下在背後竊竊偷笑⋯⋯
The Cast
The Tao of the World features Agnes Tong 唐若馨 as Arabella Flynn, Heidi Sy Damayo as Millicent Tan, Manami Hara 原真奈美 as Lady Helena Yu, Karthik Kadam as Devan Pillay, Derek Kwan as Jackson Lee, Michael Man as Dr. Wilson Wong and Angus Yam 任孝聰 as Edward Lim with Scotia Browner 白素華 as Fangirl, Boon, Tim Campbell as Trevor Flynn, Sara-Jeanne Hosie as Eleanor Marwood, Aaron Krohn, Richard Lee, Nestor Lozano Jr. as Toto, Davinder Malhi, Silvae Mercedes, Nadine Villasin as Kamila and Jennifer Villaverde.
From left: Karthik Kadam as Devan Pillay, Agnes Tong as Arabella Flynn and Nestor Lozano Jr. as Toto, The Tao of the World. Stratford Festival 2026. Photo: Dariane Sanche.
The Tao of the World Trailer | Stratford Festival 2026
Director & Co-Playwright Jovanni Sy
Director & Co-PLaywright Jovanni Sy
Reposted from Canadian College of performing arts
Jovanni fell in love with theatre here in Stratford in 1984 while watching The Gondoliers directed by the legendary Brian Macdonald. That show ignited a lifelong love of theatre. It took another eight years before Jovanni realized that he, too, could be one of those people making magic on stage. And so began a long journey that eventually brought him back to Stratford.
Forty years after that transformative experience of watching The Gondoliers, Jovanni made his own Stratford debut as the director and co-author (with Leanna Brodie) of Salesman in China.
What ultimately made Salesman in China so gratifying for Jovanni was that it validated a core belief: that it is possible to create theatre that resonates with audiences from completely different cultural backgrounds. Salesman in China appealed to those who spoke Chinese and those who didn't; to those who were well-versed in Chinese history and those who weren't. It was magical to see diverse patrons gasping and crying at the same moments.
Now with The Tao of the World, Jovanni tests this proposition once more. Part restoration comedy, part Asian rom-com, The Tao of the World seeks to find a universal language rooted in laughter. It also pays tribute to those everyday heroes who are so easily overlooked. And maybe, just maybe, it will make some young audience member fall in love with theatre for the first time.
Creative Team
Playwright and Director: Jovanni Sy 施崇梵
Choreographer and Assistant Director: Julio Fuentes
Set Designer: Lorenzo Savoini
Costume Designer: Ming Wong 黄慧明
Lighting Designer: Sophie Tang 汤语菲
Composer and Sound Designer: Mishelle Cuttler
Dramaturge: Bob White
Fight and Intimacy Director: Anita Nittoly
Assistant Set and Costume Designer: Jennifer Stewart
Assistant Lighting Designer: Emily Trepanier
Stage Manager: Bona Duncan
Assistant Stage Manager: Alice Ferreyra Galliani, Ken James Stewart, Katherine Hunter
Production Stage Manager: Bruno Gonsalves
Production Assistant: Luis Zaldivar
Technical Director: Greg Dougherty
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