Broadway's Passing Strange the Musical Streams Free This Month
Passing Strange, the Tony Award-winning musical, will be streaming free this month for a limited time! The production, filmed live at Broadway's Belasco Theatre, tells the story of a young African American's artistic journey of self-discovery, accompanied by an unforgettable rock score by singer-songwriter Stew. The musical takes viewers on a journey from black middle-class America to Amsterdam, Berlin, and beyond in pursuit of personal and artistic authenticity. Originally premiered at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2006, Passing Strange was an immediate success, prompting a move to New York's Public Theater. Following rave reviews from New York critics, the musical transferred to the much larger Belasco Theatre the following year and played nearly 200 performances. Passing Strange was later captured on film by renowned filmmaker Spike Lee, who filmed four performances of the Broadway production in 2008. The resulting film, "Passing Strange: The Movie," premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and opened at the IFC Center in New York City's West Village. The capture also aired as part of PBS' Great Performances series and released on physical media (available here). Don't miss your chance to see Passing Strange for free this month and experience the captivating journey of a young artist's pursuit of authenticity. Passing Strange: The Movie will stream free all month long through TUBI TV. The film streams in the US and Canada and is also available through the TUBI TV app, which can be downloaded to your favorite streaming device. In his review for Variety, Dennis Harvey said: "A pleasingly wayward young man’s odyssey that may or may not bear some autobiographical resemblance to writer, lyricist, co-composer and cast member Stew’s own backstory, “Passing Strange” is musical theater in the conceptual-concert-plus mode of “Hedwig.” Then again, its meta-theater playfulness and penchant for deftly parodying music/performance genres recall “Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me,” while conversely, the earnest pursuit of self-definition in racial and artistic terms echoes down a long African-American Hall of Playwriting Fame. “Passing” has a lot going on — much of it delightful. But this ambitious, not-so-deep-as-it-is-long tuner also needs work before its New York bow in January." Passing Strange was directed by Annie Dorsen, with choreography by Karole Armitage, scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Elizabeth Hope Clancy and lighting design by Kevin Adams.