Review: PASS OVER at Ground Floor Theatre

Playwright Antoinette Nwandu wrote PASS OVER as a response to the ongoing racial violence and systemic oppression experienced by Black people in the United States. The play was heavily influenced by the numerous incidents of police brutality and the killing of unarmed Black men, which have been widely publicized and protested in recent years. Nwandu has spoken about her desire to address these issues in a way that would resonate with audiences on both an emotional and intellectual level. In Ground Floor Theatre’s currently running production of PASS OVER, Nwandu’s desire is realized.

PASS OVER is entertaining, and even funny, but it’s challenging and discomforting as well. Nwandu has mentioned in interviews that she hopes PASS OVER serves as a call to action, prompting audiences to reflect on their own roles in perpetuating or combating systemic injustice. Ground Floor Theatre’s production of the play does exactly that.

The play is a modern reimagining of Samuel Beckett's WAITING FOR GODOT, crossed with biblical allusions to the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Two young Black men, Moses and Kitch (Sibonelo Shezi and Adonis Anderson, respectively) spend their days on a street corner, dreaming of a way out of their difficult circumstances.They talk about their hopes and dreams, several times reviewing them in list form, a self-soothing activity to alleviate their justified fears of a culture that refuses to see them as valuable. They yearn to "pass over" to a place where they can be free and safe. And of course, Moses will lead them out of this hell into the promised land.

Their conversations are interrupted by two white characters: a seemingly well-meaning man named Mister, and a menacing police officer named Ossifer (both played by Nathan Jerkins). I’ll leave you to imagine the possibilities of how these scenes unfold.

But let’s talk about the ending first. I’m not giving away anything, rest assured; no spoilers here. I just want to point out perhaps one of the highest achievements of any theatrical production: to leave an audience speechless, stunned in their seats at the conclusion of the show. To that end (see what I did there) director Simone Raquel Alexander achieves greatness. I found myself wondering how long I’d be permitted to quietly sit and metabolize what I’d just witnessed. 

Nwandu wrote three different endings to PASS OVER, each reflecting the social and cultural moment in which it was written. Imagine 2017, a week after Trump’s election when PASS OVER premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. Then, a film version directed by Spike Lee premiered at both Sundance and SxSW film festivals in 2018. In 2021, the play opened again on Broadway after the pandemic shut it down. For each, Nwandu gave us a different ending. In the case of each show produced, the playwright encourages the producing company to choose the most suitable ending for their place and time.

I find myself ready to jump on any chance to see a show Ground Floor Theatre produces. This company takes risks, some of which land better than others, but none ever so poor to warrant a bad review.  GFT has a winning mission, and they deliver on it without fail. Artistic co-directors Lisa Scheps and Patti Neff-Tiven have chosen well with PASS OVER. Playwright Antoinette Nwandu has given us a stunning script. Sibonelo Shezi, Adonis Anderson, and Nathan Jerkins gave seamless performances on the night I attended. This is an intense show, and director Alexander deserves great credit for hitting the mark on pace and tone throughout. Moses and Kitch’s dialogue is musical, poetic, fast, though at times, hard to make out. Is this purposeful, or not? In one scene, it’s made obvious that their dialect defines them to others. It stands to reason that I, a white reviewer, might note that I couldn’t hear or understand some of Moses and Kitch’s dialogue. But that says something about the relationship between white and black people too, doesn’t it? Intentional? Hard to say. 

The simple in-the-round set designed by Fred Demps puts us across from and beside each other to witness, if we dare, our various reactions and feelings to the play, helping us to take cues, receive validation, and deepen this powerful experience. There’s an intimacy that Shezi and Anderson build in their relationship as Moses and Kitch. They are chosen brothers, surviving as they can in a racist world. While the script reimagines WAITING FOR GODOT, and Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses and Kitch recalled for me, a hint of Lennie and George, in OF MICE AND MEN. Kitch an innocent though not disabled Lennie, falling into a trustful relationship with a George-ish Moses as his leader. Shezi and Anderson are effortless, comfortable and convincing. I look forward to seeing more from both of them. Jerkins is hilariously awkward as the whitest, well meaning guy whose overtures turn out to be… well… I’ll leave that to you to discover. As Ociffer, he’s shamefully overbearing. Jerkins is one of the area’s notable actors, delivering his roles with precision and discipline, and PASS OVER is no exception.

This sterling effort by Ground Floor Theatre deserves your time and attention. PASS OVER is simultaneously literal and allegorical. It is at once confronting and entertaining. It is both predictable and surprising. But most of all, it’s a window into a collective trauma many of us claim to want to change, and shines light in the shadows of our resistance to do so.

Content advisory: PASS OVER contains explicit and racially charged language, depictions of racial violence and police brutality, gun violence, and strong emotional content that may be distressing to some. Ground Floor Theatre has signed a pledge with GunNuetral.org that for every gun appearing in their productions a donation will be made to an anti-gun violence organization.

Run Time: 70 minutes. “No intermission. If Moses and Kitch can’t leave, neither can you.”

PASS OVER

By Antoinette Nwandu

Directed by Simone Raquel Alexander

Ground Floor Theatre

979 Springdale Rd Suite 122

Austin, TX  78702

Photography: Steve Rogers

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