High octane gig-theatre is a sensory spectacle in this narrative-sapped musical by director Liesl Tommy’s

First performed back in 2006, Passing Strange is a postmodern coming-of-age tale that sees a young black boy, simply known as Youth (Munn-Francis), escape the confines of middle-class 70’s African American suburbia to attempt to discover his true self in Europe. More gig-theatre than musical, it is a great spectacle, with light notes of racial commentary.

The show opens with the band and four performers looking around awkwardly as if waiting for the main event. After a slightly uncomfortable wait, the Narrator (Terera) strolls onto the stage with the aura of a rock star, leading the band in the first song, We May Play All Night. Terera’s performance is immense; completely at ease, he is like a griot guiding the audience through gospel, rock, punk and soul music. Eighteen years from its debut, Stew’s music still sounds fresh and new. Terera and the band (Jerome van den Berghe, Pete Billington, Ikechukwu Onwuagbu, JT Taylor) keep the energy high and, in keeping with the postmodern feel of the piece, interact with the play as if breaking their own fourth wall.

Youth’s rejection of his mother’s hard-earned, middle-class life, along with the church, leads him to Amsterdam where he feels he discovers love and the realness that he has been craving. But it’s an illusion; the second the love gets too real, he leaves. Set Designer Ben Stones’ Amsterdam is warm hued, apt for a place that Youth sees as a place of enlightenment. It is in contrast with the angry, anti-establishment Berlin, which is heavy on dark expressionism (Richard Howell’s lighting is a particular delight here) but light on substance. Style over content feels like a potential strapline for this show where music takes precedence over storytelling.  What saves it is Terera’s ability to connect with the audience and the standout performances from the cast. Rachel Adedeji’s mother is underdeveloped, but it doesn’t matter as she imbues her with grace and dignity; Nadia Violet Johnson does the same with Marianna, the Amsterdam love interest that invites Youth into her home and, hilariously, her bed. In Berlin, the audience is introduced to Desi (the outstanding Renée Lamb), an anarchist who demands to know the real Youth. What soon becomes clear is that, stripped of music, Youth is a mirage, wearing many masks but unaware of what his own face looks like.

Check out more from Young Vic| Find out more about Giles Terera| Liesl Tommy | Stew |
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