Caught a show on Saturday night....

I'm fortunate to have a friend on the inside who scored us comps to one of the final previews for the new musical Passing Strange last night. I had a great time and really loved the show. I've been having a difficult time trying to process the "why" into a post, so bear with me.

Passing Strange is a rock musical written and starring the rock singer, Stew. Stew's music is fun, thoughtful and coherent (thank god). His sound is derived from many influences (reggae, old-school musicals, punk, pop). After seeing the show, I will probably pick up a CD from his band, The Negro Problem. Of course, at least 30% of the reason for purchasing the CD is to have a jewel case in my collection from "The Negro Problem".

The show follows Stew's life from a young man in lower middle-class South Central LA to a bohemian in Amsterdam and a performance artist in Berlin. Stew serves as narrator, commentator, and participant in his story. He's backed by a tight band of on-stage multi-instrumentalists on a very spare set.

(I'm realizing this is the lamest review ever. Keep reading anyway. There might be cake at the end.)

The events of the story are brought to life by six exceptional actors playing (in most cases) multiple roles. There's an energy about their performances that is truly awesome. The characters they inhabit are funny (laugh at loud, stop-the-show a couple of times funny), touching, and three-dimensional, and they're the true stars of the show. The first act has a terrific forward motion to it and it carries over into the second act.

There are some slower beats in the heavier (shorter) second act. We also learn a valuable lesson about love, "the real", and the importance of family. I, like most of my tribe, am a sucker for a show with a "Mommy" plotline (you don't want to watch Terms of Endearment with me), so the second act was just fine by me.
I completely recommend Passing Strange. I guarantee there's nothing like it on Broadway. It's funnier than Mamma Mia!, more rock than Rent,and it might even be blacker than The Color Purple (and that closed anyway).

You should check it out if you're in NYC.