Passing Strange
From singer-songwriter and performance artist Stew, Passing Strange is the story of a young black bohemian musician who grows up in a church-going, middle-class neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles during the late 1970s.
In an attempt to rebel against his mother and conservative upbringing, he embarks on a picaresque journey abroad in search of his artistic and personal identity. As he passes from place to place and lover to lover along his personal journey of discovery, the young man’s musical styles transition from gospel to punk, then blues, jazz, and rock.
Spike Lee filmed the last three live audience performances of Passing Strange to create a documentary "for generations and generations to see." Passing Strange: The Movie made its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and later opened at the IFC Center in New York City's West Village.
Passing Strange Reviews
Jeremy Gerard of Bloomberg News hailed Passing Strange as a “charming, high-volume tale of a young man's journey to self-knowledge constantly threatens to veer off gleefully into free-form chaos.”
USA Today’s Elysa Gardner proclaimed Passing Strange as “Broadway at its best!” as well as a “playful, passionate presentation that will inspire comparisons to rock musicals such as Hair and Godspell,” and “truly unlike anything you’ve seen on Broadway!”
Michael Kuchwara from the Boston Globe wrote that Broadway was “a surprisingly comfortable fit for Passing Strange, a testament to the universality of its appeal and the genial personality of its rockin' ringmaster.”
The New York Post’s Clive Barnes described Passing Strange as “beautifully performed by a beguiling cast” and "fun people to be with.”
