This play mashes up a British Restoration comedy with an Asian rom-com

When acclaimed playwright, actor and theatre director Jovanni Sy went back to school a few years ago, he was told to “direct something funny.” He originally wanted to take on The Way of the World — William Congreve’s British Restoration comedy from 1700. But over time, that morphed into a modern-day, fast-paced Asian rom-com set in Singapore. It’s called The Tao of the World, and it opens at the Stratford Festival tonight. Jovanni joins guest host Garvia Bailey in the Q studio to explain how and why that all happened.