John McDonagh Presents: Taxi 2 TikTok

From John McDonagh, Taxi 2 TikTok is a 70-minute solo performance that traces one New York City yellow cab driver’s journey from decades of anonymity to sudden internet fame—without ever leaving the driver’s seat.

For forty years, John McDonagh drove a yellow cab through a city that rarely noticed the people who kept it moving. The first twenty years unfolded in near-total obscurity: no radios, no cell phones, broken pay phones, and no safety net.

As technology enters the cab in the early 2000s, McDonagh begins documenting the city around him through blogs and social media, slowly finding an audience. His stories attract attention from mainstream media, including The New York Times, BBC News, CBS Sunday Morning, and The Moth, as well as appearances in documentaries, reality television, and live performance spaces. These moments mark his transition from invisible observer to cultural participant.

The play’s final act explores a dramatic shift in how New York stories are told and shared. Through his unexpected collaborations with digital creators Kareem Rahma (Subway Takes), New York Nico, and filmmaker Anthony Dimieri, McDonagh finds himself propelled into the influencer economy—reaching millions without gatekeepers, producers, or permission. What once took decades now happens in seconds.

Blending storytelling, projected images, video clips, and music—from Grandmaster Flash to The Ramones—From Taxi to TikTok examines labor, visibility, media power, and the meaning of authenticity in a city where fame is now measured in seconds. It is a deeply personal story that doubles as a cultural history of New York City’s transformation—from street-level survival to algorithm-driven celebrity.

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Host or Publisher New York Society for Ethical Culture