Passing Strange at the Young Vic

Passing Strange, the 2006 semi-autobiographical musical by first-time writer Stew, makes its European debut at the Young Vic this summer. The story follows a middle-class African American Youth (played by Keenan Munn-Francis) living in 1970s Los Angeles, where the sun always shines and (he feels) people live plastic lives against a backdrop of palm trees and emptiness. Youth wants to find “the real” – what “the real” is is never fully specified, but Stew asks you to consider it for yourself. Can realness only be found in art? Is love the only thing that’s real? What makes something “real” anyway?

After a brief religious experience at the Pentecostal church, his mother drags him to (Church Blues Revelation), our Youth sets out on a journey to find “the real”, first in his church choir (led by the fabulous stoner/nonsensical but sometimes deep son of the reverend Mr Franklin, excellently portrayed by Caleb Roberts) and a short-lived rock band (which disintegrates when an acid trip makes things too real) before travelling across the Atlantic to live amongst the nonchalant sex positive, commune dwellers of 1980s Amsterdam (Amsterdam, Keys, We Just Had Sex) whom he leaves when he realises that “it’s hard to find things to complain about in paradise”.

Next, Youth stumbles upon a group of anti-establishment punk rockers in Berlin who perform at riot cabarets and believe that everything, including our thoughts, feelings and emotions, have been invaded by the system (What’s Inside is Just a Lie). Revolutionary spirit (and a romance with matriarch Desi, played confidently by Renée Lamb) seems to give Youth the sense of the meaning and community he was looking for – but at a price. Brilliantly narrated by Giles Terera, Passing Strange feels like a real story about real people that encapsulates what many of us have struggled to put into words.

Passing Strange frequently has an omnipresent narrator (Giles Terera) who breaks the third wall to talk to the audience. Terera is both commanding and vulnerable, and instantly wins the audience over with his unassailable stage presence. Performed on a V-shaped stage, the performance features a live band, all three of whom masterfully work their instrument. The musical features a strong score of songs, which play with different genres and styles. We Just Had Sex is perfectly timed and gets stuck in your head for days, while May Day (There’s a Riot Goin’ Down) aptly sets the scene with a sensory onslaught of flashing lights and punks running through (and screaming at) the audience. What’s Inside Is Just A Lie is a hilariously over-the-top parody of existentialism, whereas Work the Wound is emotional and touching.

Theatregoers are fully taken along for the ride and incorporated into the show – at one point David Albury, who is playing one of Youth’s band members having a bad trip, runs up the aisle and beseeches two men sitting in row L, “I’m 30, and my life is over! My kids hate me. Why do you hate me?” Several cast members take on different characters throughout the show, and Nadia Violet Johnson (Edwina/Marianna/Sudabey) in particular does a good job of giving each role a different emotional tone. Rachel Adedeji (Mother) has a lavish voice and manages to capture the audience’s sympathy while also being an incredibly funny character. Caleb Roberts is fantastic in his three roles (Mr Franklin/Joop/Mr Venus) and makes Mr Venus excessive, hilarious but not so much that he becomes a caricature.

This musical is far from one note. There are many laughs, but Passing Strange is a deep story, which hits on loss, identity, emptiness and humanity’s desperate search for a nameless purpose. This writer left the show in a daze, a tear in her eye – and We Just Had Sex stuck in her head.

Sophia Moss
Images: Marc Brenner

Passing Strange is at the Young Vic until 6^th July 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Watch the trailer for Passing Strange here: