Passing strange at the wilbury theatre group the wilbury. A theatrical stage production of the original broadway musical. The music is a semiautobiographical metafictional tale of a. Ibdb internet broadway database archive is the official database for broadway theatre information. With passing strange, stew, rodewald, and dorsen have created a work of such singularity that it prompts comparisons less to traditional theatre than to the eccentric iconoclasm of the.
Passing strange by spike lee daniel breaker 30306951997. Passing strange is like a rowdy concert that happens to tell a great story. The play is approximately100 minutes, with one tenminute intermission. Smashes broadway cliches with an electric guitar and the funniest libretto i can remember. Book and lyrics by stew, music by stew and heidi rodewald, created in collaboration with annie dorsen directed by sean harris choreography by darlene zoller.
Passing strange the stew musical hal leonard online. From singersongwriter and tony award winner stew comes passing strange a daring. Starting in 2004, he began writing the book, lyrics and music with heidi rodewald for his semi autobiographical rock musical passing strange, produced with the support of the sundance institute and the public theater, which won him the drama desk award for outstanding lyrics. Passing strange feb 28, 2008 jul 20, 2008 music by stew. Picaresque misadventures with sex, drugs, politics. According to stews journal, berkeley repertory theater, in a government funded study to see if a rock band and a group of actors proverbial high school enemies can live together in peace and harmony, put on stew, heidi and annies musical passing strange to much critical acclaim and confusion. Loaded with soulful lyrics and overflowing with passion, the show takes us. Passing strange, the humans and more announced for 2020. Stew sings work the wound from passing strange youtube. Stew and daniel breaker as alter egos in passing strange. Passing strange, the best musical to not win a tony, is back. Already a goto place for lessfamiliar, new and exciting plays, the wilbury group may also be the place. In addition to writing the shows book and lyrics, stew cowrote the propulsive.
Passing strange is based in part on stew s experience as a young musician traveling through europe in the 1980s. The innovative new musical that won the 2008 tony award for best book and is soon to be a spike lee film. Book and lyrics by stew music by stew and heidi rodewald created in collaboration with annie dorsen. Stews electric musical journey tells the story of a young black man searching for his sense of identity abroad. I had the great fortune of seeing stews new show passing strange this. When i won for best book i felt very good, because the book was what i worked on more. Rock musician stew makes a powerful debut as playwright and narrator, telling the story of a nameless youth who is on a quest to find the real.
Book and lyrics by stew music by stew and heidi rodewald created in collaboration with annie dorsen directed by tea alagic january 10 february 18, 2018. Passing strange by stew softcover sheet music for piano. High on my list of the best musicals of the past 10 years is passing strange, by songwriters stew and heidi rodewald. Stew received the 2008 tony award for best book of musical in his show passing strange. Book and lyrics by stew music by stew and heidi rodewald created in collaboration with annie dorsen director. But professor stew can also play a mean guitar, and when necessary, he strides the stage like an evangelical preacher, or a preening rocker, to whip the audience into a froth. New york passing strange was nominated for 7 tony awards, and won the new york drama critics circle award and drama desk award for best musical. In the fall of 2018 i served as the stage manager for the university of michigans production of passing strange, directed by tiffany rachelle stewart. Tiffany was a guest director, so part of my work was helping acquaint her with how the university did productions. Stew and his cocomposer, heidi rodewald, perform a number from their awardwinning broadway show passing strange on theater. Passing strange, the hipster rock musical that was workshopped at stanford and made its world premiere at berkeley rep, has won the tony award for best book of a musical.
Spike lee, stew and passing strange the new york times. In addition to writing the book and lyrics to passing strange, stew new york, ny is the shows cocomposer, coorchestrator, and narrator. Passing strange book and lyrics by stew music by stew and heidi rodewald created in collaboration with annie dorsen this innovative new musical exploded on broadway in 2008 winning a drama desk award, a new york drama critics circle award, two obies, 7 tony nominations, and received the tony for best book of a musical. Ibdb provides records of productions from the beginnings of new york theatre until today. From singersongwriter and performance artist stew comes passing strange, a daring musical that takes you on a journey across boundaries of place, identity and theatrical convention. Stew this innovative new musical won the 2008 tony award for best book and is soon to be a spike lee film. Audience for the uic production of the rock musical passing strange will become immersed in the world of the play as they stand and walk amongst the set and cast as the story unfolds. From singersongwriter and tony award winner stew comes passing strange a daring autobiographical musical that takes you on a journey across the boundaries of place, identity and theatrical convention.
Moving and exciting not only because of book, music and. The complete book and lyrics of the broadway musical applause libretto library stew on. Passing strange original, musical, broadway opened in new york city feb 28, 2008 and played through jul 20, 2008. Great performances passing strange tv episode 2009 imdb. Stew, who created passing strange, which is an autobiography of sorts, doesnt distract us with exoticism or nostalgia. It was directed by and created in collaboration with annie dorsen, and was nominated for several tony awards, winning for best book. The musicals lyrics and book are by stew with music and orchestrations by heidi rodewald and stew. Stew and his cocomposer, heidi rodewald, perform a number from their awardwinning broadway show passing strange on theater talk. It opened on broadway in 2008, won plenty of critics awards and.
Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1. The acting and singing are first rate there are no singers who act or actors who sing, there are only singeractors here, and great ones. It was created in collaboration with director annie dorsen. Passing strange is one of those books with precisely the right title. Stews gift for smart comic wordplay would be the envy of many a rapper, but the more lyrical passages in passing strange are carefully sculptured, considered and reflective, not hot and. Stew on taking passing strange to the screen with spike lee. It is a testament to the vivacity of this relentlessly dynamic musical that lee does his best to remain conspicuously absent from the performance.
Rent passing strange 2009 starring colman domingo and deadre aziza on dvd and bluray. Passing strange is a musical by stew and heidi rodewald of the band the negro problem that premiered on broadway in 2008. The story is very personal, but with universal appeal. Rent passing strange 2009 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Spike lees filmed version of the musical opens in theaters aug. And the wilbury theatre group has put together a topnotch cast who are clearly having a blast while providing the audience with an enormous amount of entertainment. Singersongwriter and performance artist stew brings to the stage the story of a young black musician traveling from l. With deadre aziza, daniel breaker, eisa davis, colman domingo.
Passing strange is based on the life of stew, the singersongwriterbook writer who starred in the show during its broadway run a decade ago. While the end credits indicate that passing strange is a spike lee joint, lees role in this cinematic adaptation of the hit broadway show is essentially that of a glorified cameraman. It is indeed a story about passing, in every sense of the term, and historian martha sandweiss tells it with a scholars rigor and a storytellers verve. As such, one could argue its cinematic merits and its broadway origins and cliches.
This is a film of the last performance of the musical passing strange at the belasco theatre on july 20, 2008. Passing strange is not only a lesson in the intricacies of class, race, and gender relations. Passing strange is a 2008 rock musical with book and lyrics by mark stew stewart, and music by stew and heidi rodewald. Director spike lees passionate adaptation of the thrilling broadway musical about a young bohemian who experiences sex, drugs and rock and roll on his journey to selfhood. Annie dorsen stew brings us the story of a young bohemian who charts a course for the real through sex, drugs and rock n roll. Those who didnt catch the musical passing strange when it was both on and off broadway, will now have a chance to get a closeup look at the show. Passing strange is a musical with lyrics and book by stew and music and orchestrations by stew and heidi rodewald. The youth daniel breaker is a rockandroll candide a wanderer whose innocence is never entirely corrupted. In this major revival of stew and heidi rodewalds tony awardwinning musical, a rebellious young black man journeys to europe in search of something real. Stew usa passing strange lyrics and tracklist genius. Stew brings us the story of a young bohemian who charts a course for the real through sex, drugs and rock n roll. Passing strange, however, has proved itself a classic.
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