Vanguard Theater Company Presents The Tony Award Winning Musical PASSING STRANGE This Month

This month, Vanguard Theater Company presents the second show of their second MainStage season with the production of the comedy-drama rock musical, Passing Strange.

Opening on February 16th this limited run goes through March 5th. Performances take place on Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays 3pm & 8pm and Sundays at 2pm & 7pm. Select performances will include talkbacks with the cast, creative team, and special guests. Vanguard Passing Strange is written by Stew with music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, directed by Janeece Freeman Clark, music directed by Mitch Samu, and choreography by Lawrence Dandridge.

From singer-songwriter and performance artist Stew, Passing Strange is a daring musical that takes you on a journey across boundaries of place, identity, and theatrical convention. Stew brings us the story of a young bohemian who has a complicated relationship with what it means to be Black. He was raised middle class, safely surrounded by love, but when he travels to Europe in search of "the Real" through sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, he starts to think he doesn't have enough of a tortured past from which to create true art. Loaded with soulful lyrics and overflowing with passion, the show takes us from Los Angeles to Amsterdam, Berlin and beyond on a journey toward personal and artistic authenticity. Passing Strange isn't your typical rock show, musical or biography. It examines the intersection of life and art, inspiration and creation, race, and class. While it doesn't offer easy answers, its willingness to confront hard questions over an electrifying hard-rock score makes this production one hell of a ride.

Founding Artistic Director of Vanguard and Director of Passing Strange, Janeece Freeman Clark, says of the show:

"It is a coming-of-age story and loose autobiographical musical based on the life of Punk rock artist, Stew. The protagonist, "Youth," stands in for not only the writer as a young man but also for that period in everyone's life when choices are made and life's puzzles are teased out. We learn early on that Youth comes from "a big two-story Black middle-class dream" (which is a nice departure from more common stories told about Black people). He is constantly being asked by members of his community to conform to a mold of "Blackness" that feels foreign and inauthentic to him. This struggle goes on throughout his teenage years and sends him on a journey to Europe in his early 20s in search of his true identity. Once there, he discovers that many of the tropes and stereotypes he was trying to escape in America follow him wherever he goes.

I was drawn to this piece because I, and so many others I know, can relate to Youth's journey on so many levels. I remember being called "Oreo" time and time again in my childhood (black on the outside - white on the inside). At a time in one's life when we are trying to figure out how we fit into the world - insults like this can be incredibly damaging (even when you don't realize it at the time).

One of many quotes from this play that strike me every time I hear it is Youth's commentary on how he sees himself as a "Black (man) passing for Black." In other words - Passing Strange."

Broadway veterans Dwayne Clark (SPIDERMAN/TURN OFF THE DARK, PARADISE SQUARE, THE COLOR PURPLE, IN THE HEIGHTS, and the upcoming SHUCKED)(South Orange, NJ) as Narrator, and Brandi Chavonne Massey (WICKED, JEKYLL & HYDE, CAROLINE OR CHANGE, THE LION KING)(Montclair, NJ) as Mother, lead the cast. Also telling the story are Jason Tyler Smith (Rent National Tour) as Youth, Lawrence Dandridge (Ain't Too Proud Broadway First National Tour)(Newark, NJ), as Mr. Franklin/Joop/Mr. Venus, Amanda Rose Gross as Sherry/Renata/Desi, A'ja Desormeau as Edwina/Marianna/Sudabey, and J'royce Jata (Dirty Dancing, Fame, Memphis (Natl Tours), And Just Like That, Gossip Girl, Random Acts of Flyness (HBO), as Terry/Christophe/Hugo. Clark, Massey, and Dandridge appear courtesy of the Actors Equity Association.

This hit rock musical debuted to critical acclaim off-Broadway at The Public Theater in May 2007 and won two Obie Awards, and New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best musical. In addition, it was nominated for three Lucille Lortel Awards, three Drama League Awards, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for outstanding score. After moving to Broadway in 2008, it won a Tony (nominated for six more) and Drama Desk Award. It went on to be a heralded motion picture filmed by Spike Lee in 2009.

Purchase: bit.ly/ticketsVTC or by emailing the Vanguard Theater box office at boxoffice@dreamvtc.org. Individual tickets, memberships, and subscriptions are available.

Founded in 2015, Vanguard Theater Company is a unique 501(c)(3) committed to changing social and cultural narratives through theater dedicated to DREAM: Diversity, Reciprocity, Education, Activism & Mentorship. Having just completed its first full year in its new home in Montclair, Vanguard Theater has quickly become a destination for great professional theater, inspired community collaborations, excellent youth programming, and more. Manifest star Geraldine Leer recently named Vanguard Theater as one of her favorite artistic destinations in Montclair, and, to quote Jay Lustig, reviewer for NJ Stages, "This is the third Vanguard Theater show I've reviewed since it opened its new Montclair space last year, and I've been impressed by them all." Vanguard looks forward to continuing its reputation for excellent theater and impactful community dialogue as it begins its second full season in Montclair, NJ.

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