Passing Strange- A Great Work - But. Musical?

[Noel&Cole]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 3:18pm

There is no doubt that Passing Strange is an interesting, ambitious and moving evening of theatre. These people involved have poured there heart and soul into this piece and I think it is worthy of attentioni. HOWEVER should this be considered a musical? Or should it be a special theatrical event, Ala ELAINE STRITCH AT LIBERTY. This was a truly artistic evening but is it really an actually musical? I am not sure of my opnion yet. I was just giving it some thought. Other opinions?
Updated On: 3/22/08 at 03:18 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 3:29pm

I have yet to see PASSING STRANGE. But Chita Rivera's 'A Dancer's Life' was considered a new musical. She was nominated for Best Actress also.

So if Chita's show was considered in the new musical categories, I don't see why PS wouldn't be.

[chris d]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 4:12pm

well, it has music in it...

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 4:15pm

So do many and most of the shows that have been nominated as Special Events.

[chris d]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 4:17pm

so, was Noel&cole asking a Tony question, then?

[Noel&Cole]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 4:29pm

Not a tony question. They will decide whatever they decide. More just looking at what others think it should be considered. The Tony committte has different points of view on that kind of thing each year.

[chris d]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 4:44pm

to me it's definitely a musical. I can't think what else to call it. A contemporary tone poem, maybe?? :P

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 5:26pm

OoOoOoOoOkay...

(a) The full written title of the show playing the Belasco right now is: PASSING STRANGE (A New Musical),

(b) There are MUSIC and LYRICS.

(c) There's also a BOOK.

It's 'something fresh' on B'way, folks.
If you can't understand that there are 'musicals' outside of 'traditional musical theatre' - It's an artsy kinda show. AGREED. It's not FOR EVERYONE. AGREED. My issue is that people cannot grasp that it is ineed A MUSICAL.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 6:28pm

I agree with Limelight Mike. Even though there wasn't much dialog, there was a clear story told with all the usual dramatic conventions. If you classify it as anything other than a musical, I guess it would be a rock opera, but still...musical.

[slimandslam]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 7:54pm

Well, here's a question for those who have seen it:

If Stew wasn't playing the Narrator, would we even be having this discussion?

[jordangirl]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 8:42pm

slimandslam ~ Do you mean if there was no one taking us through the connection between the songs? Then it would be next to impossible to know what the story was. If you removed the narrator part and left the rest as-is, there's not really a follow-able story.

A friend of mine described it as "a musical poetry slam cum performance art show". Personally I think that fits.

[slimandslam]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 10:25pm

Jordangirl: no, I was referring to someone else besides Stew playing the Narrator.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 10:28pm

Oh. Sorry I misunderstood. I don't see what the difference would be with someone else playing it.

[slimandslam]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 10:47pm

No need to apologize; I wasn't being clear.

I agree that it wouldn't make any difference regarding whether or not it was a musical.

Given the comparisons that others on this thread have been making to Special Theatrical Events (using Elaine Stritch, it seems, as an example), I think that there is a view that an evening of autobiography, starring the person whose life is being recounted through song and story, isn't a real musical.

I do not hold this view, but I was wondering if others did. Hence the question.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 10:52pm

Ah, gotcha. :)

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 3/23/08 at 12:00am

SlimandSlam:
Probably a good discussion topic, since Stew DOES have an understudy.
Even though Stew has his own kind of "stage presence', the "narrator" (Stew) IS a theatrical "character" nonetheless, playable by other actors.

[BkCollector]

Posted: 3/23/08 at 12:26am

Yes, Yes and Yes.

Passing Strange is every bit a musical as Oklahoma. And I"m sorry to condemn, but anyone who thinks otherwise is a narrow minded philistine in my book.

[BenKaye]

Posted: 3/23/08 at 2:23am

I really am confused as to why so many people think that Passing Strange ISN'T a musical.

It IS! No reason for the confusion people.

Updated On: 3/23/08 at 02:23 AM

[Noel&Cole]

Posted: 3/23/08 at 10:15am

I was just curious. I think it is a musical to! just not in the traditioinal sense. And that is okay. Props for pushing the envelope. And as I was thinking one thing this show does have that some of the other comparion events do ( ELAINE or CHITA) is that the score is new. Not a collection of the hits they have made popular....

at least I think the score is all new. Does anyone know for sure? Is any of this score from Stew's catalogue?

[slimandslam]

Posted: 3/23/08 at 11:38am

Four of the songs in the show have been previously released on previous albums by Stew or The Negro Problem. However, the lyrics for (IIRC) all of them have been reworked a fair bit.

Apparently, the original idea for Passing Strange was to build the entire show around Stew's back catalogue, but they decided that narrative flow was more important, and that his back catalogue didn't lend itself to such.