Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Academy Award nominee Spike Lee will be filming three performances of the Broadway musical Passing Strange this August.
They state, "Spike Lee is going to Broadway. The Oscar-nominated writer/director will be spending part of his July filming the Tony-winning production Passing Strange. Lee will film the musical by singer/songwriter Stew over the course of a weekend, shooting two shows with audiences and then a third one without. (He did a similar thing with his 2000 concert film The Original Kings of Comedy.) Passing Strange's producers are financing the production, and while no distribution deal has been set, sources believe it will air on cable television upon completion."
The new Broadway musical Passing Strange officially opened at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street) on Thursday February 28, 2008.
Passing Strange, which made its New York premiere at The Public Theater last summer, opened with its original cast intact: de'Adre Aziza,Daniel Breaker, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo,Chad Goodridge, Rebecca Naomi Jones and Stew, himself. A band of consummate musicians joins the cast on stage, including co-creator Heidi Rodewald, along with Jon Spurney, Christian Cassan,Christian Gibbs and Stew.
"With a score that has some of the most tuneful, soulful rock songs, and witty, thought-provoking lyrics in recent memory, Passing Strange is the moving and hilarious tale of a young black bohemian on a journey of escape and exploration: leaving the confines of his middle-class, church-reared youth in south central L.A., the further he travels the more he discovers the journey within is the one that counts," explain press notes.
Passing Strange has choreography by Karole Armitage, the noted choreographer making her debut on Broadway. Scenic design for Passing Strange is by David Korins, costume design by Elizabeth Hope Clancy, and lighting design by Kevin Adams.
With book and lyrics by the popular singer/songwriter Stew, and with music by Stew and his longtime musical partner Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange is directed by and created in collaboration with Annie Dorsen. Passing Strange is the first musical by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, best-known for the Afro-baroque sound they have patented since 2000 when they formed the band Stew, promptly winning two Album of the Year Awards from Entertainment Weekly for their acclaimed works "Guest Host" and "The Naked Dutch Painter."
Passing Strange performs Tuesdays at 7pm; Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8pm; Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2pm; and Sundays at 3pm at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street) on Broadway. Tickets are priced $111.50 - $66.50 - $36.50 - $26.50, and are available through Tele-charge at www.TeleCharge.com, or by calling 212-239-6200. For additional information on Passing Strange, visit www.passingstrangeonbroadway.com
