A coming-of-age story that delves into the power of true love, this fall’s Performing Arts Department (PAD) musical, “Passing Strange,” takes audience members on a punk-rock inspired journey of main character Youth’s self discovery.

The play, written by American singer-songwriter Mark Stewart, aka Stew, with music and orchestrations by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, follows Youth, an African-American 22-year old man played by 2016 Wash. U. graduate David Dwight, as he leaves his mother in Los Angeles for a trip to Amsterdam and Berlin, in hopes of becoming a successful singer-songwriter. The stage is set with a band in the back and ensemble just behind the main actors, all of whom work together seamlessly to create a multi-dimensional dynamic held together by a narrator.

The trip is inspired by both a spiritual moment in church, where Youth draws a connection between gospel and rock ‘n’ roll, and a failed attempt to create a punk-rock band after several marijuana-tainted interactions with the reverend’s closeted gay son. In Amsterdam, Youth experiences the country’s characteristic free love, pot-enhanced coffee shops and general good vibes when he’s accepted unconditionally by a local squatter woman—but soon finds that the laid-back environment has left him with no complaints and therefore no songwriting material.

Despite Youth’s quick decision to leave Amsterdam, the audience is treated with a full portrayal of the happy-go-lucky country culture: The ensemble proceeds to enact an orgy on the side of the stage, which appears to be set in a coffee shop, after Youth proclaims to have just had sex with two Dutch women (in a song literally called, “We Just Had Sex,”—not unlike the infamous-yet-beloved “Saturday Night Live” skit, “I Just Had Sex.”) This is definitely not a show for the faint of heart!

Jonathan R. White Photography

The narrator, played by Charles Glenn who is the singer of the national anthem for the St. Louis Blues, takes the audience on the main character’s journey of self-discovery. The play, “Passing Strange,” will be performed Oct. 28-30 in Edison Theater.

Elvin Hu, who sings in the band, recommended that students prepare themselves for drugs, sex and profane language.

“We’re not doing a show that’s about making sex or doing drugs—it’s just that these references are the medium through which we can convey the main idea,” Hu said.

Later, in Berlin, Youth finds that, in order to live at a halfway house called Nowhaus for “revolutionary” artists, he is forced to misrepresent his own identity as that of a “ghetto” black man raised in the projects of South Central Los Angeles.

This stereotype of black identity, raised earlier in the show when a fellow churchgoer urges Youth to “be more black,” is part of the central self-discovery theme. Ebby Offord, a sophomore drama major who plays Youth’s mother, relates the idea to the play’s title, which has been connected to a black person passing as white.

“For me, it’s always been about defying a standard definition of blackness. Rock music is something that used to differentiate me from my friends because, when I was younger, listening to rock meant that you were trying to be white—so, it’s about getting past that idea, especially with the rock music as part of the play,” Offord said.

The fact that “Passing Strange” is not only a self-discovery story, but also a rock musical sets it apart from similar narratives.

“The music is a lot more important to the story than usual in a musical; rock is important to the main character’s identity—and you really get the full range from classic to progressive to punk,” Offord added.

Desi, the German woman with whom Youth falls in love, played by junior Namrata Vakkalagadda, is the only one to see through his guise, and her insistence that he drop it makes him frustrated and confused. Similarly, his extensive time away from home leaves Youth’s mother increasingly saddened. With the main part of the stage darkened, Youth is positioned on a far-right section of the stage and his mother on the far-left, lit by singular spotlights, as they argue on the phone: Youth insisting that he must not return to L.A. because it’s a place where he cannot be himself and his mother insisting that he must return because she loves him and they have “things to talk about.” The pain in each actor’s voice as they engage in a conversation with each side irreconcilable to the other is tangible, and the stage setting highlights the physical and emotional gap between them.

Only by a sudden turn of events at Christmastime is Youth forced to come to terms with the fact that he’s been lying to himself and neglecting the people he loves—highlighted by Desi’s insistence that “only love is real” in the end.

“One of the repeated phrases in the play is ‘only love is real,’ and I think it’s a reminder that you can’t forget where you came from and the people that are behind you—even if it seems sometimes that they aren’t supportive,” Offord said. “The idea is that love itself is important and shouldn’t be taken for granted, whether it’s romantic, for a friend or from your parents.”

Passing Strange will be performed on Oct. 28 and 29 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. in Edison Theater. Tickets cost $10 for Wash. U. students, and $15 for staff and faculty. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit edison.wustl.edu.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that tickets for staff and faculty cost $15.