Sometimes the most extraordinary journeys take us halfway around the world only to bring us back to where we began. Such is the journey at the heart of Passing Strange, the Tony Award-winning rock musical that made its long-awaited Los Angeles premiere at Pasadena Playhouse last night. And there is something particularly special about welcoming this production home, because its roots are planted right here in Los Angeles.
Written by Stew, with music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange is an autobiographical coming-of-age story inspired by Stew’s own experiences growing up in South Central Los Angeles. First premiering at Berkeley Rep in 2006 before making its way to Broadway, the groundbreaking musical is now celebrating its 20th anniversary. Yet its story feels as relevant and resonant as ever.
At its heart, Passing Strange is about the search for identity, artistic expression, and what it means to find your authentic self. Our protagonist, known simply as Youth, is an awkward, restless Black teenager growing up in South Central LA with his single mother. He doesn’t feel he belongs in his church, at school, or in the world immediately surrounding him. An aspiring artist with a creative spirit and an insatiable curiosity, he longs to escape the confines of his upbringing and venture into the wider world in search of what he calls “the real.”
What follows is a wild, exhilarating adventure through Amsterdam and Berlin, where Youth encounters artists, activists, lovers, and unconventional thinkers. As he immerses himself in new cultures and countercultures, he continually reinvents himself, trying on different identities and artistic personas in an effort to discover who he really is. Meanwhile, back home, his loving and increasingly worried mother struggles to maintain a connection with her only son, who seems more interested in breaking free from his past than appreciating the person who has always been there for him.
Beneath the sex, drugs, rock ’n’ roll, and irreverent humor is a surprisingly tender story about the complicated relationship between a mother and her child, the sometimes painful process of growing up, and the realization that finding yourself doesn’t necessarily require leaving everything you love behind. Youth ultimately discovers that you can be yourself wherever you are and that the people who love you are among life’s rarest and most precious gifts. Sometimes that lesson arrives later than it should.
Guiding us through this rock-and-roll odyssey is the immensely talented and charismatic Ty Taylor as Narrator. Having never seen him perform before, I found him an absolute revelation. He begins the evening by strolling through the audience, coaching patrons on some of the callbacks he’ll be asking for once he’s onstage. Decked out in a black satin suit adorned with gold chains and embellishments, he radiates an effortless star power, an unmistakable swagger and an almost gravitational pull. Your eyes find him, your attention stays with him, and you can’t help wanting more.
Taylor is part master of ceremonies, part storyteller, part rock star, and part knowing observer of the adventure unfolding before us. His voice soars through the theatre with a depth, richness, and authority that seem to come from a lifetime of experience and hard-won wisdom. He guides us with equal measures of exuberance, irreverence, and tenderness. He had me locked in from minute one. Honestly, he is worth the price of admission alone.
As Youth, Britton Smith delivers a dynamic performance, taking us from the whiny, insecure teenager who can’t wait to escape his surroundings to the searching, sometimes tortured young artist trying to find his way through Europe. Smith brings an appealing vulnerability and restless energy to the role, along with a terrific voice and an impressive ability to navigate Youth’s many emotional and artistic transformations.
Tanerélle brings a sultry voice and captivating presence to her multiple roles, particularly shining as Youth’s first romantic experience in Amsterdam. Her performance of “Keys”, alongside Taylor and Smith, is especially poignant, capturing the intimacy and emotional complexity of a young man’s first encounter with love and desire.
Brittany Campbell takes on her multiple roles with relish, delivering each with its own distinctive personality and flair. She is particularly compelling as the formidable leader of an underground artists’ collective in Berlin. Her voice is simply stunning, and there were audible gasps in the audience when she finally gets her moments in the spotlight during the Berlin sequences. Campbell brings a wonderful combination of dynamic strength and unexpected softness, especially as a lover attempting to reach a young man who is still struggling to understand himself.
Johnny Laveie is clearly having the time of his life, bringing infectious comic energy and impeccable timing to his many roles. He is especially hilarious as Reverend Jones. Devere Rogers is equally delightful, throwing himself wholeheartedly into his characters and giving Mr. Franklin a delicious joie de vivre, beautifully tempered by an underlying melancholy.
And then there is Saycon Sengbloh as Mother. Breathtaking. She is funny, sassy, warm, and utterly heartbreaking. Her rich, expressive vocals seem to carry every hope, dream, worry, and heartache contained in a mother’s heart. She gives us the humor of a mother trying to understand her increasingly independent son, but also the quiet devastation of loving someone who is determined to put distance between them. Sengbloh makes that emotional journey profoundly human, and her performance is one of the production’s great gifts.
The entire cast is chock-full of extraordinary talent, with several performers effortlessly moving between multiple characters. Each brings a distinct personality and perspective to the story, creating a lively, ever-changing world around Youth. Their chemistry, comic timing, vocal prowess, and sheer joy in performing make for a thrilling ensemble experience. Accompanied by a live band onstage, the production delivers a high-octane musical ride that is as much a feast for the ears as it is for the senses.
A particularly meaningful dimension of this production comes from its director, Tony Award-winner Zhailon Levingston, fresh off his Tony win for directing Broadway’s Cats: The Jellicle Ball. For Levingston, bringing Passing Strange to Los Angeles is something of a full-circle moment. As a young boy, he watched Spike Lee’s filmed version of the Broadway production and experienced a life-changing encounter with a piece of theatre that expanded his understanding of what musical theatre could be. Now, years later, he is the one bringing his own vision of this groundbreaking work to the very city where its story began.
Levingston’s direction captures the exhilarating, unconventional spirit of the piece while never losing sight of the humanity at its center. He understands that this is not simply a rock concert with a story attached. It is a deeply personal journey, full of contradictions, humor, rebellion, and vulnerability. He lets the production soar when the music demands it, but just as importantly, he allows the quieter, more intimate moments room to breathe. Those moments of stillness give the story its emotional weight and make its ultimate revelations all the more affecting.
What makes Passing Strange so special is that it refuses to fit neatly into any one theatrical box. It is a rock concert, a coming-of-age story, a love letter to artistic rebellion, a mother-son drama, and a wonderfully irreverent exploration of what it means to be Black, young, creative, and searching for a place in the world. It challenges conventions while celebrating the transformative power of art and music. And beneath all its wonderfully wild theatricality is a message that sneaks up on you: the journey to finding yourself may be long and winding, but don’t overlook the people and places that helped make you who you are.
The Pasadena Playhouse was absolutely on fire. This is the kind of production that reminds us why live theatre matters and why certain musicals change the landscape of American theatre. Twenty years after its debut, Passing Strange still feels fresh, daring, exhilarating, and wonderfully alive. And there is something especially satisfying about seeing this particular story return to Los Angeles, where its journey began.
Do yourself a favor and get a ticket. This is one wild ride you don’t want to miss.
