Passing Strange 2007 Demo Recording

Music and Lyrics: Stew and Heidi Rodewald
Released: Unreleased

A young black musician travels on a picaresque journey to rebel against his mother and his upbringing in a church-going, middle-class, South Central Los Angeles neighborhood. He finds new experiences in promiscuous Amsterdam, with its easy access to drugs and sex, and in artistic, chaotic, political Berlin, where he struggles with ethics and integrity when he misrepresents his background as poor to get ahead. Along with his "passing" from place to place and from lover to lover, the young musician moves through a number of musical styles from a background of gospel to punk, and then blues, jazz, and rock. He finally returns home.

Passing Strange is a semi-autobiographical musical with lyrics and book by Stew and music and orchestrations by Stew and Heidi Rodewald.

The musical premiered on October 19, 2006, at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, California. It was then produced off-Broadway at The Public Theatre in New York City, running from May 14, 2007, through June 3, 2007. The musical began previews at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway on February 8, 2008, and officially opened on February 28, 2008.

Passing Strange has received the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical, seven 2008 Drama Desk Award nominations and nominations for a number of other awards. Reviews on Broadway have been positive. It has also been nominated for seven Tony Awards.

You can watch a Passing Strange Video Clip at Musical Theatre Clips.

More Info: Passing Strange NY Times Review
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