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Too Strange to Pass for a Musical

By Matt Windman, amNewYork Theater Critic
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1:02 PM EST, February 28, 2008

Singer-songwriter Stew is narrator, book writer, lyricist, co-composer and lead guitarist of the musical, "Passing Strange" about a young middle-class African-American man's journey in search of his personal and artistic identity.

How can we best describe "Passing Strange"? Try thinking of your favorite musical. Now imagine what it would be like if its composer insisted on not just sitting center-stage, but narrating the plot and even telling you why it's a good show. Doesn't that sound condescending?

That, essentially, is "Passing Strange," the stylistically savvy but structurally unsound new musical that has limped its way to Broadway following a short run at the Public Theater.

Written by Stew, an alternative rock artist with a coffeehouse attitude, "Passing Strange" follows his coming-of-age story. His altar ego, played by Daniel Breaker, is a middle-class black youth in 1970s California. Dissatisfied with his mother's affection and the local Baptist church, he travels to Amsterdam and Berlin in search of his identity and some "real" inspiration.

Does he learn that he cannot live for a fantasy of finding his "Corner of the Sky"? Apparently yes. How do we know? Stew told us so.

His eclectic score spans blues, rock and roll, gospel and pop. And while this will definitely make for a must-have cast album, the songs are too divorced from the characters themselves. As Stew himself acknowledges, he doesn't know how to write a showtune.

"Passing Strange" is hardly a musical, but a rock stuffed with episodic narrative and undercooked philosophy. This was not meant to be a vanity project, but that's how it feels.

And it's a shame. Because in spite of its talented cast and Kevin Smith's awesome lighting design, "Passing Strange" makes for a very boring evening. Good musicals do not force-feed morals. Stew needs to leave the stage and let his actors take over. Don't tell us what to take away from your show -- show us!

Belasco Theatre, 111 West 44th St, 212-239-6200, $26.50-111.50. Tues 7pm, Wed 2 & 8pm, Thurs-Fri 8pm, Sat 2 & 8pm, Sun 3pm. Open Run.