Vanguard Theater Company — Attraction in Montclair

NO NEED to take the train into NYC this weekend for a theater experience! Instead snatch tickets to VANGUARD THEATER’s incredibly staged and expertly directed “Passing Strange,”a deeply-moving coming of age story written over ten years ago and before Lin Manuel Miranda courageously explored race reversal in Hamilton. Written by a playwright known simply as STEW (like Madonna, someone explained) PASSING STRANGE calls for a powerhouse ensemble to beautifully and lyrically morph — right before your eyes— into Dutch/European artists. Vanguard actors and the dialect coach NATALIE JONES take it to another level. Smack in the middle of Amsterdam, followed with a trip to Berlin is where you land. When the cool and free-wheeling Bohemians attempt to “box” the main character (played exquisitely by Glenfield Alum Jason Tyler Smith) around his Blackness with a silly question not even worth repeating, YOUTH, (Smith) patiently replies to his Dutch hosts:”Do you live in a windmill and wear clogs?” The tone and delivery of just this one line will do much to heal anyone who has experienced this type of insult. Smith’s mastery of our wandering hero and overall performance delivery is generous; he nails the sometimes confused and sporadically self-centered Youth without overpowering the ensemble. Better, Smith gets us to root for Youth as he explores love and experimentation. The Dutch characters , btw, do not wear clogs —but, COLLABORATIVELY transport you to guilt/angst-ridden post-post WW2 Europe where actor Lawrence Danridge wraps Josephine Baker and Bob Fosse into one performance, followed by a painful history lesson on brutality and ethnic invisibility. You can’t miss this! AND …you can’t miss the one man Greek Chorus , Dwayne Clark. (I can’t say more on this without a spoiler! ) The last leg of Youth’s journey (led gleefully, yet poignantly by J’Royce Jata, Amanda Rose Gross and A’ja Desormeau ) transports you back to Youth’s home and church-fearing mother ( played movingly by Brandi Chavonne Massey ) for a universal finale experienced, in one form or another, by all of us! How a small Montclair-based theater accomplished these transports will leave you breathless! Meeting JANEECE FREEMAN CLARK left me star-struck. I had to pull myself together before asking the multi-talented actors to sign my program. (You folks were so incredibly patient and accommodating.) THANK YOU!!! I love...

We saw Hair recently and the harmonies, voices, band, and choreography were incredible! The reason for the 3-star rating though is the director spoke beforehand about the inclusiveness and diversity in the show, yet the opposite sentiment was expressed in many scenes. It was cringe actually that took away from the power of the musical as a whole… sometimes it’s best to stick...

EXCELLENT!! First of all the staff was so helpful & kind & patient! I brought my 80 year old parents, who were in need of assistance ( 2 small flights of stairs). EVERYONE was so helpful with assisting me, lessening my load. Now to the production of PASSING STRANGE! RUN, go see this production Dwayne Clark was extraordinary! The entire cast was perfection!! Broadway...