SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties: #13 - Passing Strange (2008, Belasco Theatre, New York City, NY)
Introduction: Hard as it is to comprehend that we're already 119 months into this "new" millennium, we are fast approaching the end of its first decade. While we have yet to agree on what exactly we should call the '00s, I'll take a cue from the fine folks at The Times of London and the BBC and henceforth refer to them at the Noughties. With that small introduction, I'm pleased to present my list of plays and musicals that wowed me the most during that time. Out of the hundreds and hundreds of shows I've seen over the last ten years, I give you my countdown of my 25 personal favorite shows of the Noughties. Last year's absolute best, most cosmic musical was also the most unusual and unexpected, and yet somehow oh so real.
Passing Strange succeeded in taking the Great White Way in an entirely new, infinitely intelligent direction, compliments of a musician named
Stew. This exacting artist took us on a wild trip in quasi-strolling minstrel style, expertly telling the story of his own formative adult years with such humor, passion and grace that I found myself tearing up many times over as chills shot down my spine.
Stew's storytelling alter ego, Youth, was played with awkward charm by
Daniel Breaker, a sensationally expressive new stage star in an astonishing breakthrough role. Breaker was duly honored with a well-deserved Tony nomination.
Often veering toward the existential when it's not reminding you of "The Wizard Of Oz," Stew's ethereal odyssey wasn't as much about saying "there's no place like home" as it was reassuring you that you actually can go home again. I couldn't help but fall head over heels in love with this smoke-hazed tale.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. I paid my own way for this performance.Labels: Broadway, Daniel Breaker, Musical, Passing Strange, SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties, Stew
Not Worth Passing UpYesterday, I saluted
ABBA and the team behind the
movie soundtrack for "
Mamma Mia!" on its ascension to the top of Billboard's Album Chart.
But today, I just have to say, the CD that I can't stop listening to is the
original cast recording for
Passing Strange. The sheer artistry, humor and intelligence on each and every track has me a bit depressed that it never attracted the audience it deserved. But thankfully,
Stew and
Heidi Rodewald is now available for the ages.
I just dare you to listen to it and not be similarly amazed.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Heidi Rodewald, Original Cast Recording, Passing Strange, Stew
Passing From BroadwayAfter months of rarely attracting the audiences it deserved (and ultimately needed),
Passing Strange will soon pass from the Broadway boards. This "real" musical, unlike any other, is set to close on July 20.
That closing date is important as it comes one day after Spike Lee is set to film the tuner in front of a live audience. While I agree with Aaron over at
‘kül That Sounds Cool that a full-on film of the stage version couldn't even begin to capture the experience of seeing
Stew's amazing, semi-autobiographical journey live, particuarly as a key component is his ability to break down the fourth wall, I guess
those of us who love this work deeply will have to take what we can get.
By the time it closes,
Passing Strange will have played 165 regular performances. Never mind that it was
the best reviewed new musical to hit Broadway this past year. The fact that it had an ill-defining marketing campaign, coupled with dubious choices regarding its Tony Awards musical selection, as well as the fact that it didn't win the coveted Tony for Best Musical as many had hoped, it's probably no wonder that the show played to over 50% capacity (and some weeks, just barely) a tad bit over half of the 22 weeks its been around. Last week, its capacity was down in the danger zone playing to a house with less than 38%.
Such a shame. Who knows when we'll have such an opportunity to pass this way again.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Things I Learned At The Tonys... (June 17, 2008)
Tony Awards: Win Place Show (June 16, 2008)
Strange: Passing In The Heights For Best Musical? (June 13, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Who Will Win (June 10, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part II (June 5, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part I (June 4, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Top Ten Of The Year (June 2, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best New Musicals (May 29, 2008)
How 'kül Is This? Strange $25 Rush Ticket Offer (March 17, 2008)
Passing Strange (The SOB Review) (February 29, 2008)
Broadway's Strange Opening Night (February 28, 2008)
Strange Stagefellows (February 20, 2008)
Passing Strange Jersey Boys And Rock 'N' Roll: Downbeat Box Office (February 19, 2008)
Stranger Things Have Happened! (October 19, 2007)
Passing Strange To Broadway? (October 16, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Musical, Passing Strange, Stew
Things I Learned At The Tonys...As noted a couple days ago, I had the enormous pleasure of taking in the
American Theatre Wing's 62nd Annual
Tony Awards hosted by
Whoopi Goldberg on Sunday evening. And may I just state for the record that I thought Whoopi made an excellent host.
I learned so much, not only about all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into this production, but also just how much
more fun actually being there can be. It's not just seeing the nominees and presenters in person, but the chance to see those amazing performances live one more time. It's also the nonstop buzz you feel from the moment you step onto the red carpet right up until you receive your Tony
swag bag upon departure from the Gala.
But there are other things I learned along the way, either from personal experience or overheard from others...
...Tonys weigh more than I thought they would ... Don't bother asking Harry Potter-cum-Broadway star
Daniel Radcliffe for an autograph ... It's perfectly fine to congratulate
S. Epatha Merkerson on her Tony nod (she was beaming as she escorted her mother around), just please
don't even think about approaching her in the ladies' room (and please don't approach me in the men's room, either) ...
John Waters was really
just kidding last year when he suggested he was working on a script called "Last Stall To The Left" about
Senator Larry Craig ... The restrooms
are "the great equalizers" at the Tonys (as I learned from my new friends Daniel and Donna from Lexington, Kentucky)...
...Not only does
Gypsy director
Arthur Laurents know a thing or two about pacing a show, he's pretty fast on his feet for a man of 90 years ...The orchestra is nowhere to be seen during the Tonys, prompting the justifiable wrath of
Patti LuPone during the dress rehearsals when she could not hear the music as she tried singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses" ... Speaking of dress rehearsals, only a few of the presenters were no-shows, including
Alec Baldwin,
Harry Connick, Jr.,
Laurence Fishburne and
Marisa Tomei ... Could be that last star's no-show that prompted
Lily Tomlin to mimic her actual appearance ... The morning rehearsals were just a tad too early for
Stew, who made his feelings known as the
Passing Strange troupe concluded rehearsing "Keys"...
...The ever gracious
David Pittu has written a show he's getting ready to premiere at the Atlantic ... across the Atlantic,
August: Osage County will make its West End debut this fall ... English actor
Mark Rylance lived in my hometown of
Mequon - Thiensville, Wisconsin during his formative years (since we're about the same age, I can't help but wonder if we ever met way back when) ... speaking of formative years,
Keith Carradine is
very proud of his progeny
Martha Plimpton (he served as her Tony Awards escort, appropriate given it was Father's Day)...
...The technical Tonys were skillfully hosted by the witty, dynamic duo of
Julie White and
Michael Cerveris ... even Tony winning stars like White can get excited about the chance to see other stars like Connick ... thanks to Cerveris, I finally learned how to properly pronounce
Les Liaisons Dangereuses ...
Laura Linney was gracious when at least one person told her they thought she was terrific in that play they can't pronounce ... "
Project Runway" winner
Christian Siriano's name was on the lips of countless young fans who were thrilled to meet him, while big stars like
Glenn Close walked right on by unbothered...
...Awards do occasionally get bent, just ask
Catherine Zuber ... As this year's winner for Best Costume Design for a Musical, Zuber was overheard telling someone complimenting her on her apparel choices (or lack thereof) for
Matthew Morrison, "I'm no dummy" ... In person,
In The Heights'
Olga Merediz looks to be about half the age of Abuela Claudia, the role for which she earned her Tony nod for Best Featured Actress in a Musical ... Speaking of
In The Heights, creator and lead actor
Lin-Manuel Miranda looks substantially younger without his trademark ivy style cap, and he was practically floating through the Gala crowd while on Cloud 9 all evening.
Here's toasting all the nominees and winners. I'd like to thank them for a truly spectacular year on Broadway. It's one that I'll never forget.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Tony Awards: Win Place Show (June 16, 2008)
Tony Time (June 15, 2008)
Strange: Passing In The Heights For Best Musical? (June 13, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Who Will Win (June 10, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part III (June 6, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part II (June 5, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part I (June 4, 2008)
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 12, 2008)
Labels: August Osage County, Catherine Zuber, Daniel Radcliffe, David Pittu, John Waters, Laura Linney, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Rylance, Martha Plimpton, Patti LuPone, S. Epatha Merkerson, Stew, Tony Awards
Strange: Passing In The Heights For Best Musical?On Tuesday,
I offered what some may have thought was a pretty outrageous Tony prediction: that
Xanadu might actually be benefitting from that little viral campaign and
would win the Tony for Best Musical.
Of course, no one from of a pool of twelve respected
prognosticators polled by the Los Angeles Times was so bold as to name
Xanadu as a potential Best Musical winner among their Tony predictions. For the record, I still stand by my prediction -- and Rocco at
What's Good/What Blows in New York Theatre would clearly be a very happy blogger if my soothsaying were to hold up.
Well, no sooner had I sayeth that sooth than Gil at
Broadway Abridged and I began conversing about whether a spike in votes from
Xanadu's campaign might actually help push
Passing Strange over the finish line.
Next thing I knew, good ol' Michael Riedel at
New York Post was telling us all how close the race would be between
In The Heights and Passing Strange:
...if you look closely at your Shubert Alley tea leaves, you can discern the makings of an upset or two.
After making Sarah over at
Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment practically faint by feigning that he thought
Patti LuPone could actually lose, Riedel boldly stated:
...now that I've got your attention . . . Passing Strange seems to be gaining quickly on the Best Musical front-runner, In the Heights. You hear the same thing from voters: "I think In the Heights will win, but I'm voting for Passing Strange.
The conventional wisdom was that In the Heights would triumph because (1) it's doing better at the box office and (2) being energetic and bland, it can tour the country more readily than its edgier, rougher rival.
But Passing Strange has a trump card that's been well-played: Stew, its charismatic creator and star.
He and his porkpie hat have been all over town this past month, charming pretty close to all of the 765 Tony voters. (Well, maybe not John Simon.)
Accompanying Stew on his rounds is his collaborator, Heidi Rodewald. She's very shy but has a winning personality.
Both are new to Broadway, which adds to their appeal. And it's been fun watching them befriend theater royalty such as Marian Seldes ("I adore Stew") and Edward Albee.
Well come
on! With Marian Seldes in one's corner, how could it
not be gaining traction among other prime voters?
UPDATE (10:35 a.m. EDT): In his column this morning, Riedel says that Passing Strange will
win.And traction is the word this morning, according to the informal polling conducted by
The New York Times' Campbell Robertson,
who offers that the race is indeed very close, but the last-minute surge is working:
...when it’s this close, you are wise to surrender all responsibility and bow to the math. And the poll numbers say: Passing Strange.
A well-earned tip of the hat must be paid to ModernFabulousity,
who dared to go far out on a limb in predicting, on June 2 no less, that
Passing Strange would win!
Not so fast, appears to be the retort from
New York magazine's
Vulture column. While they take heart in the sudden horserace, they
ultimately conclude about the possibility of a Passing Strange upset:
We doubt it. It's one thing to give the Best Musical award to a show like Spring Awakening, which is rockish and fun but is still made by people who love musical theater and Broadway. It's another thing to give the award to a show that consciously rejects Broadway tradition -- to great effect, it must be said -- written by and starring a guy who's made it clear he doesn't really care for, well, Broadway. "If you asked all of us, you could probably count the number of Broadway shows we've seen on two hands," Stew says, describing himself as a guy "you have to drag to the theater."
Contrast this to In the Heights, whose Lin-Manuel Miranda speaks enthusiastically about his love of musicals, and whose show embraces those traditions even as it spices them up with a touch of reggaeton and hip-hop. Sure, this makes the show a little more "energetic and bland," as Riedel snipes, but it also makes it a much better crowd-pleaser than Passing Strange, even if Passing Strange is more innovative a show. Argue all you want about which musical is better, but if you were a Tony voter -- that is, in most cases, a devoted Broadway lover -- which one would you vote for?
Well,
Vulture, since you
have asked, this devoted Broadway lover would vote for
Passing Strange.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Who Will Win (June 10, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part III (June 6, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part II (June 5, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part I (June 4, 2008)
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 12, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, Broadway Abridged, In The Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michael Riedel, Passing Strange, Predictions, Stew, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations, Xanadu
Did Critics Provide Passing Grades To Passing Strange?Last evening, Broadway's most offbeat musical
Passing Strange opened at the
Belasco Theatre to some bona fide critical raves (including
mine), although there were some dissents.
The show is based on the early adult years of musician
Stew (née Mark Stewart) with music he co-wrote with
Heidi Rodewald. Directed by
Annie Dorsen and choreographed by
Karole Armitage, the tuner stars
Daniel Breaker (pictured) as Stew's younger self, along with
De'Adre Aziza,
Eisa Davis,
Colman Domingo,
Chad Goodridge and
Rebecca Naomi Jones.
Calling "it wonderful, and a welcome anomaly on Broadway,"
Charles Isherwood in
The New York Times sounds the clarion call: "Although it is far richer in wit, feeling and sheer personality than most of what is classified as musical theater in the neighborhood around Times Square these days, its big heart throbs to the sound of electric guitars, searing synthesizer chords, driving drums and lyrics delivered not in a clean croon but a throaty yelp....Stew brings an invigorating new perspective to the classic coming-of-age narrative. He brings a gently satiric touch too..... This jumpy character -- in the text he is simply called Youth -- is portrayed by the sensational Daniel Breaker, whose performance has grown tremendously since the Off Broadway run."
Asserting that "It's boldly atypical Broadway fare that pulses with a new kind of vitality,"
Variety's
David Rooney heaps on the laurels: "Stew and director/co-creator Annie Dorsen have fine-tuned the material, adding definition and removing most of the lulls from the previously rambling second act in particular....Dorsen's achievement here in giving the episodic musical a satisfying shape cannot be overstated. Working with choreographer Karole Armitage, she creates something propulsive and viscerally exciting out of minimalist staging....The appealing Breaker's light touch never falters, deftly offsetting the posturing pretensions of countercultural hipsterism with his character's youthful ingenuousness.... Whether this personal yet joyously inclusive show is a first step into the form or a one-time excursion,
Passing Strange breaks the mold with electrifying inventiveness."
Offering that "
Strange is truly unlike anything you've seen on Broadway,"
USA Today's
Elysa Gardner hails the show in her three-and-a-half star review: "Stew actually sends up cultural sacred cows, from performance art to punk rock. Racial stereotypes, too, are cleverly evoked and debunked, and there are lighthearted jabs at musical theater itself. But
Strange is no snark fest. Stew and Rodewald reject the sentimentality and bombast that some rock-influenced writers bring to Broadway, and their work has more of the emotional intuition and melodic invention that distinguish great musicals than anything
Andrew Lloyd Webber or his acolytes have come up with.
Strange's humor and heart are enhanced by the cast. Daniel Breaker makes Youth lovable despite his narcissism, and manages a funny, touching rapport with Stew, the narrator."
Praising it as "all smart and all enjoyable and all very good for the theater,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer clearly enjoyed the show: "What's inside is what gives this surface its remarkable traction. Annie Dorsen, a downtown director in her mainstream debut, keeps the seriously comic action -- to use Stew's favorite word -- real. With little more than a few chairs and a back wall (by
David Korins) of jukebox neon lights, the show manages to create at least three different communities of unpredictable individuals with complex internal lives and worldviews. Karole Armitage, a veteran modern-dance choreographer, gives raucous energy to purposefully haphazard running, sliding and spinning for joy. No Broadway unisons here....When Youth tries to impress his German friends with his ghetto-warrior 'Identity Song,' the thing turns out to be a vaudeville....Nobody gets naked here, but everyone is exposed."
Proclaiming it "a hell of a good time,"
The New York Sun's
Eric Grode is mostly positive: "It's a witty, boisterous, often heretical dissection of racial identity in all its modern-day fluidity....Director Annie Dorsen has recalibrated the performances of her excellent original cast for the larger space....Mr. Breaker has that exceedingly rare ability to make post-adolescent self-involvement and sanctimoniousness endearing, and he and Stew have developed an easy rapport that wasn't evident last year. When Youth grabs Stew's microphone during a climactic realization, taking brief ownership of his future, the effect is both offhanded and riveting."
Citing this as "one of the more audacious attempts to bring rock 'n' roll to Broadway,"
Frank Scheck of
The Hollywood Reporter is largely upbeat: "[W]hat it lacks in cohesion and theatrical imagination, it makes up for with musical passion and energy....[T]here's no denying the quality of the hard-driving, stylistically eclectic rock score, with the evening's best number, the hard-driving 'Amsterdam,' proving a true show-stopper. The fluid staging by Annie Dorsen and the minimal but energetic choreography by Karole Armitage add greatly to the show's impact. And the six-person ensemble, led by the highly engaging creator/narrator, deliver terrific performances."
Labeling
Passing Strange an "exuberant if flawed show,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News offers a mixed assessment: "[T]he story feels familiar and smacks of warmed-over '
Wizard of Oz.' The stocky, bald Stew wears hipster shades and a dark suit as he narrates, sings and strums guitar. But he might as well be dressed in
Dorothy Gale gingham and ruby slippers.
What makes the show fresh is the music, which Stew wrote with Heidi Rodewald. Its rhythms and sounds go from hard-thumping rock and groovy blues to funk, punk and gospel....Daniel Breaker is magnetic as the Youth. Eisa Davis adds hilarity and heartache as his caring, churchgoing mother."
Concluding that "although Broadway may not be (Stew's) alley, his offbeat beatness would be a delight to encounter in cabaret,"
New York Post's
Clive Barnes nevertheless musters up two and a half stars: "It's also beautifully performed by a beguiling cast -- fun people to be with, even if one has to be with them rather longer than one might have planned....This is a conceit less strange than the show's authors try to suggest: Self-invention is often a prelude to self-identification. Yet, for all its conventionality, Stew's book and particularly his lyrics are witty and pointed. He has a dry sense of humor that's perfectly on-target, and stands back from these presumably autobiographical vignettes with a wry but calculated modesty."
Overall, given the praise that has been showered on
Passing Strange, the question now is whether audiences will finally discover it and make it their own. Certainly, it does not help that the Belasco is on the other side of Broadway, away from the glare of most theatres. But it certainly deserves four times more than the 23.5% capacity crowd it drew last week.
So, if you're smart, I'd advise you to get thee right away to get tickets while excellent seats are still available. I'm sure they won't last long.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Passing Strange (The SOB Review) (February 29, 2008)
Broadway's Strange Opening Night (February 28, 2008)
Strange Stagefellows (February 20, 2008)
Passing Strange Jersey Boys And Rock 'N' Roll: Downbeat Box Office (February 19, 2008)
Stranger Things Have Happened! (October 19, 2007)
Passing Strange To Broadway? (October 16, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Daniel Breaker, Heidi Rodewald, Musical, Passing Strange, Stew, The Negro Problem
Passing Strange (The SOB Review) - Belasco Theatre, New York, NY
**** (out of ****)
Shout
"Hallelujah!" high to the heavens, for the absolute best, most cosmic musical of the year has arrived!
Strangely enough, it comes in one of the most unusual, unexpected shows I think I've
ever seen. Perhaps it's fitting that
Passing Strange, which opened last evening at Broadway's out-of-the-way
Belasco Theatre, is off the beaten path, for it succeeds in taking the Great White Way in an entirely new, infinitely intelligent direction.
And it's not just that
Passing Strange has a laid-back California meets pulsating Amsterdam by way of a Berlin vibe -- and trust me, I've been to all three places to know firsthand.
It's that its trajectory brilliantly takes a bohemian base and infuses gospel, rock, punk and soul music into a delicious, simmering hot, heterogeneous -- and anything but bourgeois -- bouillabaisse, compliments of a musician named
Stew. This exacting artist (his real name is Mark Stewart) takes us on a wild trip quasi-strolling through an astral plain, expertly telling the story of his own formative adult years with such humor, passion and grace that I found myself tearing up many times over as chills shot down my spine.
While others might dub this "Early Summer Awakening," the fantastical journey (sorry Stew) offered by
Passing Strange's stellar cast and heavenly score makes this a celestial voyage worth taking. Making it all the more worthwhile is the realization that this is largely a true personal account from Stew of his early adulthood laced with enough wry wit and beautiful, clever score to leave you on a real high long after it's over.
I'll be honest with you. Before I
broke the news about
Passing Strange's own ride to Broadway last year, I had never heard of Stew or
Heidi Rodewald (who collaborated on the score) or their band, the
Negro Problem. So when the show began, I had no idea what to expect.
Initial appearances proved deceiving as Stew and his band took to the stage in full concert mode. But it soon gave way to Stew's folksy storytelling of his alter ego, Youth -- a younger version of himself played with awkward charm by
Daniel Breaker. (Allow me to pause here to tell you that a sensational new stage star has emerged in an astonishing breakthrough role. Breaker conveys volumes with a simple roll of his eyes and displays a natural presence found far too infrequently. There
is a Tony nod in his future.)
Set against a distinct backdrop of black and white, the younger Stew feels trapped, pigeon-holed into an existence where the color of one's skin is the defining factor -- oh, and by the way, he happens to be African American. Yet he finds his passage to his future through an unlikely source. Stew's loving mother (a lovely
Eisa Davis) compels him to become more involved with his church. However, she gets more than she bargained for when the minister's son (
Colman Domingo, who exceptionally takes on various roles within the show) turns him on quite literally to all the world's possibilities, one toke at a time, freeing him to begin his quest to find life's deeper meaning.
Just as
Moses showed the way to the
Promised Land without ever reaching it himself, the minister's son inspires the young Stew to take off for Amsterdam. For the first time in my theatregoing experience, I actually felt my seat vibrate as if I were with him on the flight's take-off. To say the least,
Tom Morse's sound design literally rocks.
Once he lands in Amsterdam,
David Korins' stark black-and-white set design gives way to vivid colors where ironically, skin color no longer seems to matter. (The tune "Amsterdam" underscores how exceptionally Stew and Rodewell excel at moving the story forward with inventive, smart lyrics buttressed by hook after musical hook.)
And after expanding his mind with a
coffeeshop cluster of colorful individuals, our Youth advances to the punk side of Berlin. And lives to tell about it.
Often veering toward the existential, this ethereal odyssey ultimately dares to proclaim that you actually
can go home again. But it's delivered with the caveat that you'll be all the richer for having not only dared to dream big, but especially choosing to live even larger.
For that and its glorious score, I couldn't help but fall head over heels in love with this smoke-hazed tale. Far from strange, I look forward to passing this way again.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
Broadway's Strange Opening Night (February 28, 2008)
Strange Stagefellows (February 20, 2008)
Passing Strange Jersey Boys And Rock 'N' Roll: Downbeat Box Office (February 19, 2008)
Stranger Things Have Happened! (October 19, 2007)
Passing Strange To Broadway? (October 16, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Daniel Breaker, Heidi Rodewald, Musical, Passing Strange, Stew, The Negro Problem, The SOB Review
Broadway's Strange Opening NightArguably
the quirkiest musical to tread the Broadway boards this season -- or in years for that matter --
Passing Strange opens this evening at the
Belasco Theatre.
To say it's been a long and winding road on the path to the Great White Way would be an major understatement.
The creation of
Stew (née Mark Stewart),
Passing Strange is based on the bohemian musician's formative adult years, beginning in LA, with stops in Amsterdam and Berlin and back. It's brought to life through his book, along with the score he co-wrote with
Heidi Rodewald, one of his bandmembers from the
Negro Problem.
But the decidedly downtown show's path to Broadway began with a collaboration between
The Public Theater and the
Berkeley Rep, first playing New York last summer during an extended gig before transferring to California's Bay Area.
Now, the tuner is back in the Big Apple, and it's on Broadway.
The show's
MySpace page describes the show as:
...the story of a young black bohemian, who abandons his bourgeois roots to journey to Europe searching for "the real." Discovering a world of sex, drugs, rock and roll and art revolutionaries, our rebel-hero explores love, identity and the meaning of home.
Passing Strange is directed by
Annie Dorsen and choreographed by
Karole Armitage. The musical not only features Stew and his band as an integral part of the staging, but stars
Daniel Breaker as Stew's younger self, along with
De'Adre Aziza,
Eisa Davis,
Colman Domingo,
Chad Goodridge and
Rebecca Naomi Jones.
Might this just become this season's little tuner that could? Find out tomorrow as I not only provide my critics' capsule, but I'll offer my very own SOB Review.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Strange Stagefellows (February 20, 2008)
Passing Strange Jersey Boys And Rock 'N' Roll: Downbeat Box Office (February 19, 2008)
Stranger Things Have Happened! (October 19, 2007)
Passing Strange To Broadway? (October 16, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Daniel Breaker, Heidi Rodewald, Musical, Opening Night, Passing Strange, Stew, The Negro Problem
Strange Stage-fellowsFascina-ting story today from Michael Riedel about the disconnect between the cast and crew of
Stew's
Passing Strange and the stodgy
Shubert Organization:
When giving notes on Passing Strange, the Shuberts frequently refer to how things were done on My Fair Lady.
My Fair Lady? The wonderful but, well,
old-fashioned musical that debuted on the Great White Way over a half century ago?!
But give 'em credit. They're at least betting on an exciting, revolutionary stage show unlike any other I've ever seen.
When I caught
Passing Strange last weekend, I absolutely fell in love with it and can't wait for the original cast recording. With
Daniel Breaker in a powerfully captivating star-making turn, it's
that good. (More to come in my upcoming SOB Review.)
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:Passing Strange Jersey Boys And Rock 'N' Roll: Downbeat Box Office (February 19, 2008)
Stranger Things Have Happened! (October 19, 2007)
Passing Strange To Broadway? (October 16, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Daniel Breaker, Michael Riedel, Musical, My Fair Lady, Passing Strange, Shubert Organization, Stew
Stranger Things Have Happened!You heard it here first!
As
I reported here on Tuesday,
Passing Strange will transfer to Broadway this February. Now the news is official. The rock musical by Mark Stewart (aka
Stew) and
Heidi Rodewald will open at the
Belasco Theatre on February 28,2008; previews begin February 2.
Passing Strange is a collaboration between
The Public Theater and the
Berkeley Rep. It played an extended run in the Big Apple over the summer before moving to California. Now it will fill the space suddenly made available after the
strange passing of Lonestar Love.
The entire Off-Broadway cast will transfer, including
de'Adre Aziza,
Daniel Breaker,
Eisa Davis,
Colman Domingo,
Chad Goodridge,
Rebecca Naomi Jones and Stew. Rodewald will be among the musicians on stage.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Passing Strange To Broadway? (October 16, 2007)
Labels: Berkeley Rep, Broadway, First Word On New Show, Passing Strange, Public Theater, Stew
Passing Strange To Broadway?I'm hearing through the grapevine that Mark Stewart (aka
Stew) and
Heidi Rodewald's rock musical
Passing Strange is heading for Broadway in February 2008 and that an announcement is imminent.
Passing Strange -- a collaboration between
The Public Theater and the
Berkeley Rep -- played New York this past summer and was extended by four weeks before moving on to the Left Coast.
The autobiographical piece centers on Stew, "a young black bohemian in search of self and home who charts a course for 'the real' through sex, drugs, and rock and roll."
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Berkeley Rep, Broadway, First Word On New Show, Passing Strange, Public Theater, Rumor, Stew
