The Wilma Theater is hosting the acclaimed rock-musical “Passing Strange,” which will take Philadelphia audiences on a coming-of-age journey across Europe through Feb. 18.
The Tony Award-winning show centers on the narrator, who tells the story of Youth, a rebellious young African-American man who leaves his religion-fueled upbringing in South Central Los Angeles to see what else is out there, eventually embracing punk-rock music and immersing himself in the cultures of Amsterdam and Berlin along the way.
Jamar Williams plays Youth in the musical and said the similarities between his character’s story and his upbringing is part of what initially intrigued him about the role.
“I think it was his want to see something different,” he said. “I’m from a little town in North Carolina. In the show, you see how it takes him to Amsterdam and Berlin. I think the idea of a young black man doing something out of the norm is what attracted me to the role.”
Williams added that when the play debuted more than a decade ago, there weren’t many African-American characters and stories out there.
“When the show was first on Broadway back in 2007, the times were different,” he said. “Black representation on stage was in productions like ‘Showboat’ or ‘Ragtime’ or even ‘Book of Mormon,’ which satirized African culture. So a show about a black kid venturing to a European country and showing the dichotomy of the black church in the very beginning, it was resonant. So now with all the political outcries, when you see him in Berlin during the riot, it’s definitely more resonant now.”
During a time when some politicians and public figures spout fear-mongering, xenophobic rhetoric, hopefully a show about finding one’s self through traveling and interacting with people from different backgrounds is the kind America needs right now.
“He, as a black person, had to go all the way across the world to live in his skin — to not see himself as a color but more of just a human in mind,” he said about how Youth’s travels affected him. “At the same time, he took in these people that were rioters and they were in the middle of the street throwing things and creating performance art. He reigns them in and says, ‘I’m writing this piece about you and for you and with you.’
“On the flipside, they also said, ‘I see you,’ and the same when he went to Amsterdam. They were a bunch of hippies smoking pot in a bar. But to him, it was such an inclusive experience going there and they were so interested in him. So I think the show is definitely about acceptance and stepping outside of your own world.
“Sometimes, it takes sacrifice. In the case of Youth, he ended up losing his mother because of his overbearing need to see something different. But at the same time, he gained the wealth of knowledge and he saw what he wouldn’t have seen if he hadn’t made that sacrifice to go there.”
Youth’s sexuality — as well as the sexuality of other main characters — is up for interpretation and debate, but Williams said there is plenty for LGBT audiences to feast upon and enjoy in “Passing Strange.”
“From the jump of the show, they took time and really made sure they included all aspects of the human experience,” he said. “There’s a sexually ambiguous character at the top of the show, Mr. Franklin, who is a choir director. It is the beauty of the unknown and, also, he has this persona behind the scenes that inspires Youth to go to Amsterdam in the first place. If you are a gay man or a gay woman, you’d go, ‘Oh, I can relate to that character.’ Homosexuals who are forced into a religious construct literally have to put on this demeanor.
“Mr. Franklin has this whole other persona but his flamboyance is what pushed Youth into his future. When Youth gets to Amsterdam, he writes this letter and tells him he had this amazing experience. At this point in the story, you don’t know if Youth had sex with a girl or a boy. All the people he just met in Amsterdam are singing this song ‘We Just Had Sex.’ You could say that Youth has a fluid sexuality and our gay culture will be able to find a piece of the story that resonated with them for sure.”
While the show focuses on a rebellious and joyous rock musical, Williams said it’s quite the emotional roller-coaster. Sometimes he goes through the motions on stage as much as the people in the audience.
“Life is very complex and I think there are a lot of fun moments in the show, but you also have to go out in the rain, emotionally,” he said. “Those kinds of emotions are lined inside the play. This show really supplies the happy moments of life and then there are moments where I see myself — not my character — as a gay man from North Carolina knowing that I needed to get out of North Carolina to pursue my dreams and passions because I was so bogged down by the church and my parents and preachers and friends around me. I had to leave — literally went to school. I never went home and, after school, I went to New York.”
Williams added that his own journey has been similar.
“He isolated himself in a way where it was safe for him to become his best self. In the midst of the joy and the loud music on stage — at the end — I realized, ‘Oh my goodness! This is my life.’ And I almost choked up during the show. But there’s a lot of rock music and ’70s dancing and shimmying until you get to that point. So it’s not all somber. You get the full range of emotions.” n
The Wilma Theater presents “Passing Strange” through Feb. 18, 265 S. Broad St. For more information or tickets, call 215-546-7824 or visit https://www.wilmatheater.org/production/passing-strange.