Writer: Dan Sareen
Director: Imy Wyatt Corner
Passing is an intelligently crafted domestic drama penned by Dan Sareen and presented by Want The Moon, the theatre company he co-founded. Spotlighting the dynamics of a mixed-race family belatedly celebrating their first-ever Diwali, Sareen’s script offers an entertaining and accessible intergenerational discussion surrounding cultural identity.
The evening’s events unfold in the Singh family’s cosy living room, where Rachel (Amy Leigh-Hickman) has assembled her family to celebrate the Hindu festival of lights, in wake of her grandfather’s dwindling health. Passing is an incredibly character-driven piece and the voice of each family member is wonderfully distinct, allowing for clarity even amongst the chaos of overlapping conversations.
Rachel is the most resolute in her views, on a mission to salvage what she can of the Indian heritage she feels deprived of, whilst snarky and carefree brother David (Kishore Walker) is her antithesis as the evening’s biggest critic. Ruth (Catherine Cusack) and Matt (Jack Flammiger), a doting mother and try-hard boyfriend respectively, offer various degrees of overbearing ignorance as the caucasian presences in the room. Meanwhile, Yash (Bhasker Patel) is a fascinating, complex presence as the Indian father who is oblivious to his importance as the most prominent cultural tie to the cultural connection Rachel seeks.
Leigh-Hickman is a brilliant anchor for the production, displaying impressive strength as the frequent centre of the play’s conflict. As the narrative unfolds, she then gives a raw portrayal of deterioration until Rachel’s conflicted heart is laid bare in a particularly touching display of vulnerability.
Patel gives a fantastically layered performance as a parent who has striven his whole life to fit in, only to be criticised by his child for not standing out. He skillfully encapsulates Yash’s duality, demonstrating an innocent cluelessness about how to please his daughter, offset by a quick temper towards a son who doesn’t show him the respect he was trained to show his own father.
Perhaps the weakest player narratively is Matt, through no fault of Flammiger. The friction his role provides in the latter half doesn’t quite marry up to his unwavering support of Rachel earlier in the play. Flammiger does offer some of the most memorable moments of comic relief throughout, however, and he fully commits to an arc which acts as the catalyst for some of the play’s most beautiful and impactful conversations.
Just like the real-world conversations it aims to replicate, Passing is messy, emotional and divisive; yet essential. Audiences should flock to Park Theatre this month to catch this truly special play.
Runs until 25 November 2023
The Reviews Hub Score
Impactful
