Minimalist master’s flawed work sustained by an inspired production.

It’s almost unbelievable that Phillip Glass is still writing opera, at 77 years of age. You’ve got to give the man – he who defined and sustained a new generation of classical music through the 60s and 70s – credit for longevity. Even for those of us (like myself) who were never overly enamoured of his relentlessly repetitive style, he is and remains an icon. His first opera, Einstein on the Beach, premiered in 1976 and redefined the form; The Perfect American is his twenty-fifth operatic work. Is it possible for this new-age revolutionary composer to continue to create art that is genuinely creative and new?

Yes and no. The Perfect American is a deeply flawed work, from both a theatrical and a musical perspective. Despite the breathtaking stage design – it looks like an early mock-up of an animated cartoon, then it’s a huge film camera projecting onto a scrim, which then collapses like the end of a Loony Tunes cartoon – it’s an opera that doesn’t really go anywhere. Some really brilliant performances hold the show together, particularly Christopher Purves in the title role and Australia’s Kanen Breen...