By Jason Hagey and Alisha Hagey
Funny, poignant, inventive, and full of heart, Salt Lake Acting Company’s production of Passing Strange takes us on a wild, bohemian journey from middle-class, black California to Amsterdam and Berlin. In 2008, it won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, and Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Lyrics, and Outstanding Music at the 53rd Drama Desk Awards – deservedly so. At first glance, Passing Strange could be seen as a rock musical with its electric guitars, drums, and keyboards, but the storytelling of Stew (Book, Music, and Lyrics), Heidi Rodewald (Music), and Annie Dorsen (Collaborator) is far beyond a rock musical. The music is a combination of several genres and, instead of seeking to be catchy or cliché, each song is crafted to tell the story of Youth, a young musician in search of “the Real” through sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll. The passionate lyrics are an eclectic mix of biting humor, a deep understanding of human nature, and powerful emotions. Passing Strange surpasses conventional storytelling into a realm of unique mythmaking.
Tackling a powerful, frenetic libretto, Todd Underwood (Director) makes the free-associative nature of Passing Strange feel natural and explosive. Underwood’s direction electrifies. Passing Strange sweeps through so many stereotypes, undermines them with direct humanity, and redefines not only what it means to be black but what it means to be human. Underwood has a magical way of making an ostensibly African-American adventure one that is bound to shake up every soul that partakes in the production.
Leading us on Youth’s journey, Lee Palmer (Narrator) has a strong, abiding presence. Palmer holds nothing back in his performance – he is raw, insightful, and the consummate performer. Palmer’s gravelly voice resonates with wisdom and heart. When Palmer moves, every gesture, every stance, every turn of the head reverberates with meaning. Nothing is accidental when he strides the stage.
Our vessel for the story is Carleton Bluford (Youth), a musician that wants only the most authentic life. Bluford is a combination of youthful naivete and charming charisma. His great achievement in Passing Strange is his ability to flow effortlessly from moment to moment, capturing the mental and emotional state of Youth with virtuosity.
In tandem with Bluford is Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin (Mother). As Youth is tossed on the waves of life, Mother is his anchor. Darby-Duffin is also the anchoring influence of this show. She has incredible comic timing and, with exceptional capacity, beautiful turns of feeling and sensitivity. Her subtle, compassionate portrayal is empathetic and heartbreaking. Because of Darby-Duffin’s veritable representation, the show’s final scenes have a deeper meaning.
Youth’s quest for “the Real” wouldn’t be possible without a talented and diverse ensemble. Latoya Cameron, Kandyce Marie, Brian Kinnard, Jamal A. Shuriah (Ensemble) are lively and expressive. Cameron conquers each character she portrays with impressive versatility. Marie is a bright performer and she glows on stage. Shuriah is a chameleon from one moment to the next. We would pay to see Kinnard again in his performance of “What’s Inside Is Just a Lie” – it has to be seen to be believed.
As is typical in a musical, music brings everything together. Alex Marshall (Musical Director/Keyboardist/Guitarist) and Alec Powell (Associate Musical Director) lead an accomplished, adept band composed of Andres Reyes (Guitarist/Keyboardist), Zaza Historia VanDyke (Bassist), and Wachira Waigwastone (Drummer). Their mastery of several music styles keeps the story going and keeps the audience connected with the production. More than just a pit orchestra, the band becomes characters and the texture of Youth’s expression. They interact with actors and imbue their personal journeys into the narrative.
Transporting us from a middle-class, South Central Los Angeles Evangelical church in the late 1970s to an Amsterdam filled with drugs and sex, then to the youth uprising in Berlin, Halee Rasmussen (Scenic Design) creates a dimensional and dynamic environment. Jesse Portillo (Lighting Design) deftly illuminates each space to create a new world through lights. Rebecca Luke’s (Costume Design) broad range of simple (and perhaps not-so-simple) costume changes helps the Ensemble with their many quick changes and character evolutions. Luke’s choices keep us in time period and in location.
Youth’s journey of self-discovery engages angst and existentialism through a narrative about an artist’s growth to maturity. The ultimate desire of the piece is to explore the making of identity. From the beginning, Passing Strange accosts us with a fear of artifice and a desire for that which is authentic: the Real. In an age where identity has a post-modern, sliding significance, Passing Strange is more necessary than ever to elucidate the real struggle of all mankind to know who they are and why they exist as they do. The Narrator sings:
Wish we could talk about how the means will not prepare you for the ends…
How your epiphanies become fair-weather friends…
How death will make you lower your defenses…
The only truth of youth is the grown-up consequences…
In a way, Passing Strange asks us if we are looking in the right places for who we are, or are we getting distracted? Even then, when we find reality – the Real – are we finding what we need? “Now I need something more than real,” the Narrator says. Seeing Passing Strange will help us to ponder on this subject of what is more than real. What do we need most of all? It is time for Salt Lake City (and Utah generally) to experience Passing Strange as it confronts its own existential identity crisis. Go see it.
Salt Lake Acting Company Presents Passing Strange by Book and Lyrics by Stew, Music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald
Salt Lake Acting Company – Upstairs Theatre – 168 West 500 North, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84103
April 6, 2022 – May 15, 2022
Ticket Cost: $30 – $44
Box Office Phone: 801.363.7522
Box Office Email: info@saltlakeactingcompany.org
Open 11am – 5pm, Mon – Fri
www.saltlakeactingcompany.org
SLAC Website
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Open Captioned Performance
May 1st, 2022 at 6:00pm
Audio Described Performance
April 27th, 2022 at 7:30pm
Sensory Performance
April 30th at 2:00pm
ASL Interpreted Performance
May 7th, 2022 at 2:00pm
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