Second Thought Theatre presents PASS OVER

Pass Over

Directed by Sasha Maya Ada

My thoughts on Pass Over or…Godot doesn’t show, but someone else does

Second Thought Theatre presents

Pass Over by Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu

Directed by Sasha Maya Ada

Pass Over is a play of incredible power. It exhilarates, it illuminates, it terrifies. Nwandu’s play, especially in Second Thought Theatre’s intimate venue, will take you by the collar and place you in an unfamiliar world for most of us. That world is a graffiti covered, concrete, run down, corner of what appears to be a city park realistically rendered by scenic designer Natalie Rose Mabry.

The inhabitants of the park are two young Black men, Moses (Daniel Saunders) and Kitch (Vandous Stripling II). The symbolically named Moses and his friend Kitch are closer than brothers. They are friends who have shared a common upbringing and now face a bleak reality and future. The two discuss their lives and their dreams and their wishes to “pass over,” which has many meanings here. Moses and Kitch are sometimes playful, sometimes intense, but never less than fascinating to watch and to hear their banter that can go from light to dark within moments. Their world is a world of uncertainty, where death from a police bullet is an everyday occurrence. Kitch even lists all the people they know who have lost their lives to police violence and the list is extensive. Into their world comes a white man (Matthew Manelli) ostensibly on his way to his mother’s house bearing a picnic basket, a sort of racist White Riding Hood, if you will. Moses is more wary of him than Kitch, but both are attracted to the food he has to offer. They uncover his not so subtle racism and he departs. The same actor appears as a policeman who treats the young men harshly and returns later and is involved a fantastically surreal scene. To reveal more of the plot here would be a spoiler.

Director Ada has this play perfectly paced and I especially admired how she had the characters use the concrete wall and bench that are part of the “park.” Ada has found treasure in the actors she cast. As the white man called “Master” Matthew Manelli is obsequious and quietly menacing at once and his policeman is an overtly blatant racist with a threatening swagger. Manelli is a “master” at making his characters creepily believable. Vanous Stripling II is a lithe and captivating Kitch. His Kitch is a bit of a man-child, still desperately hoping to “pass over” to a world where life is easy and room service is just a call away. The athletic Stripling is at home on the stage and both he and Daniel Saunders as Moses handle Nwandu’s often poetic script with aplomb. Saunders brings strength and self-confidence to Moses. He is clearly a leader trapped in a world where it is impossible to lead. Saunders also makes Moses vulnerable and world weary. Saunders adeptly shows the desperation of Moses which always lies just below the service. His is a powerful, gut-wrenching performance.

Pass Over captures the anguish of these young Black men. Nwandu uses poetry, humor, drama, and surrealism in a unique blend to tell this story. Director Ada’s vision honors Nwandu’s play and makes it into an evening of riveting theater.