Passing Strange, Signature Theatre, Arlington, VA

 

Michael J. Mainwaring, Kara-Tameika Watkins, Imani Branch, Deimoni Brewington, Tobias A. Young, and Alex DeBard in Passing Strange. Photo Credit: Daniel Rader.

Entering the Ark, the smaller of the two performance spaces at Arlington’s Signature Theatre, for the current production of Passing Strange, the audience enters an environment that feels completely separated from the outside world. The walls are covered with graffiti, seemingly random words and phrases; the “stage” is set with musical instruments stage left and an array of packing cases stage right. This feels more like a small nightclub or dive bar, a dingy space projecting an ambience that conveys a sense of uncertainty about what is to come. There is the potential here for a performance so intimate that artificial barriers between the “show” and the audience will be obliterated.

And that is exactly what happens within the first few minutes of Passing Strange, which is part rock concert, part confessional, a loosely autobiographical, “coming of age” story of one young man’s search for his “real.” With book and lyrics by Stew and music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, what unfolds over the next two hours is a creatively-staged, well-acted, engaging, and entertaining “event,” which defies easy description.

One of those pieces of graffiti on the wall at the back of the stage is “REAL,” a word that is highlighted several times during the production. A narrator/singer walks us through the passages of his story. Called simply “Youth” in the program, his story begins in south central Los Angeles in the 1970s. This is not the stereotypical ghettoized south central LA, but a middle-class home where Mother is frustrated by Youth’s apparent lack of direction and purpose. She alternates between her “real” voice and her “Black” voice, code-switching in an effort to get him up and out. He tunes her out as much as he can, defiantly chanting “om” as she pushes him to go to church. “Baptist Fashion Show,” one of the early numbers, skewers the tropes of the Black church, but, much to her surprise, he finds an awakening there and, more importantly, a “tribe” of outcasts. Joining these outcasts in the choir, he is introduced to Mr. Franklin, the pastor’s son and a closeted choir director, who introduces him to the wonders of marijuana, among other diversions. Mr. Franklin tells Youth that in order to find himself, he needs to follow in the footsteps of other African Americans who found acceptance (and, presumably, their “reals”) in Europe. Before he goes, he leaves the church choir to form his own band, whose music is decidedly un-Biblical.

Isaac "Deacon Izzy" Bell as the Narrator in Passing Strange. Photo Credit: Daniel Rader.

Soon, Youth is off to Amsterdam – to live, not to visit, he tells Mother. In Amsterdam he meets colorful characters (including a philosophy professor who is also a part-time sex worker) and is made welcome in a way he could not have imagined in the U.S. Almost immediately, a comely young woman offers him her keys to a place he can crash during “Keys,” perhaps the most memorable tune from the show. Soon he eagerly discovers other attractions, chronicled in the very funny “We Just Had Sex.”

But as alluring as Amsterdam is, his life there is too idyllic for him to be able to write his songs. He sets his sights on his next destination: Berlin. He arrives in Berlin as there are riots in the streets and soon finds himself another tribe, this time political revolutionaries who mix Molotov cocktails as they reject societal norms around them, moving into Nowhaus, a commune of sorts for idealistic outcasts. One calls herself a pornographer, making subversive films about businessmen closing deals. He is learning more about philosophy, until he is challenged by one of the more revolutionary members – what is his purpose? Why should he continue to be welcome in the Nowhaus? Stumbling for a response, he comes up with, “I’m Black,” then creating a fictional background of growing up impoverished in the LA ghetto. We know it is fiction, but being “The Black One” is apparently enough for him to stay.

Mother calls, again imploring him to return home. He rejects this, insisting that Europe is now where he lives. Still, something nags at him as Christmas approaches (and his Nowhaus-mates plan their trip back to the homes they left under similar circumstances). His friends sing about how the things they hated most at “home” have become endearing idiosyncracies they remember with some fondness. He relents and travels back to Los Angeles, only to arrive shortly after Mother has passed. Here, his journey has come full circle and he recognizes that his “real” has been there, in the form of Mother’s love, all along.

Deimoni Brewington as Youth in Passing Strange. Photo Credit: Daniel Rader.

Director Raymond O. Caldwell uses inventive staging to turn the challenges of the small performance space into a multitude of locations as those packing cases are moved about and opened to transform the space. Every square inch of the space is put to use, as well as the center aisle through the audience. Choreographer Tiffany Quinn and fight director Chelsea Pace also deserve credit as well for keeping the movement consistent and precise. (The movement is so seamless, it is impossible to tell where one’s work ends and another’s begins.) The design elements by Jonathan Dahm Robertson (scenery), Danielle Preston (costumes), Alberto Segarra (lighting), and Eric Norris (sound) give the company what they need to transform this empty space into a hive of energetic action. Video design by Kelly Colburn is used to excellent effect, helping move us geographically but also engaging us visually. And none of this would be possible without the expert performances of the on-stage musicians: conductor/keyboardist Marika Countouris joined by Alec Green (guitar), Jason Wilson (bass), and Angel Bethea (drums).

According to the program, Isaac “Deacon Izzy” Bell is making his stage debut as the Narrator while actively engaged in a career as a musician. Bell affably guides us so effortlessly through the action that it comes as a surprise that this is a new experience for him. Deimoni Brewington is Youth, the Narrator’s on-stage counterpart, with whom the Narrator sometimes changes places. Brewington undergoes notable transitions as Youth journeys through self-discovery, from insolent teen to cocky rebelliousness to mature awareness. Bell and Brewington are perfectly in sync as they interact at times as two sides of the same character, one caught in the moment, the other with the wisdom of experience. Mother is played with graceful assurance and earnestness by Kara-Temeika Watkins.

The remaining four actors take on a variety of characters, all of them created indelibly and with conviction. Michael J. Mainwaring is especially adept with movement and accents in his eccentric characterizations, including the philosopher/sex worker. Tobias A. Young has a good time as Mr. Franklin and a German protester. Imani Branch is appealing as Amsterdam squatter/hostess Marianna and the German revolutionary who ultimately forces Youth to confront his pretenses.

Deimoni Brewington and Alex De Bard in Passing Strange. Photo credit: Daniel Rader.

I remembered Alex De Bard as the bratty Little Red Riding Hood from Into the Woods, though her characters here are so different, it took a few moments for it to sink in that this was the same performer. It is quite satisfying to see further dimensions of her talents in the roles she takes on here. She attacks her characters with ferocity. I look forward to seeing what else she might do.

Signature’s “signature” is musical theatre and this season has focused on works by the late, great Stephen Sondheim, including the rarely-seen Pacific Overtures. This production of Passing Strange emphasizes that “big” or “traditional” musicals are all well and good, but innovative musicals like this deserve their attention as well. Passing Strange continues at Signature through June 18.