To purchase the DVD of PASSING STRANGE, click on the image above.

It’s Double Take December at Musical Cyberspace! Every musical pretty much has something one likes and something one doesn’t in it. This month I’ll be listing one of each for a range of musicals, a different one each day.

Passing Strange

Something I Like: Stew and Heidi Rodewald bring us intriguing subject matter done in an interesting way. The range of theatrical and musical influences that come to bear on this show are varied and challenging in combination, as were those that helped to create Fela! a few seasons later. Because of those influences, this show begins to play with what a piece of musical theatre can be. I also love how the different resonances of the word “passing” in the title are interpolated into the action of the play. There is some super music in the show. And its great that the show is preserved in Spike Lee’s filming of the piece.

Something I Don’t Like: Strangely enough, I suppose, there are times when I just don’t like Stew as the Narrator in this. At this point in time, I feel like its the persona Stew put forward in the role – so I would be interested to see someone else doing it, to see for sure if it is the actor or the role that I find jarring.

Feel free to share your “double take” on Passing Strange in the comment box!