Passing Strange Now In Movie Theaters For A Limited Time

New Yorkers should hurry down to the IFC Center in Greenwich Village as soon as they can and catch the new stage-to-film version of one of last season's best Broadway musicals, the auto-biographical Passing Strange, starring writer/musician/performer Stew and actor Daniel Breaker (Shrek) playing his younger self. Currently that is the only movie theater in the city that is screening Passing Strange: The Movie, and so far it is only on the schedule through Tuesday, August 25. For those who won't have an opportunity to see it on the big screen, they can catch the film on cable through the On Demand feature starting later this month. Already receiving great reviews from sources such as the New York Times and Time Out New York, Passing Strange: The Movie was filmed live by director Spike Lee at the Belasco Theater during the musical's last weekend on Broadway.

Film of Broadway Musical "Passing Strange" Coming To Movie Theaters

Spike Lee's documentary of the short-lived Broadway musical Passing Strange is set to hit movie theaters on August 21. The film was in the Sundance Film Festival, and it was also seen earlier this year in New York City at the Tribeca Film Festival. If you can't make it to see Passing Strange on the big screen - or if it's not playing in a theater near you come August - you can catch it on television in 2010 when it airs on PBS as a part of the "Great Performances" series. Passing Strange, which played the Public Theater before transferring to Broadway in 2008, is a rock musical written by Heidi Rodewald and Stew. The show is Stew's semi-autobiographical tale of a young black man's journey from a middle class life in Los Angeles to coming-of-age adventure in Europe. The Broadway production, which is captured in Spike Lee's documentary through footage filmed live on July 19, 2008, featured actors Daniel Breaker (currently in Broadway's Shrek), de'Adre Aziza, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Chad Goodridge, Rebecca Naomi Jones, and an on-stage band fronted by Stew himself.

Passing Strange To Close On Broadway July 20

Lots of Passing Strange in the news these days, and unfortunately the latest isn't good. The new musical, which transferred to Broadway earlier this year following a successful Public Theater run, has been struggling ever since it hit Broadway. Although it did well during awards season, Passing Strange failed to nab the big prize, the Tony Award, which was probably its last shot at getting a significant surge in ticket sales. As a result, the exciting rock musical by Stew and Heidi Rodewald will be ending its Broadway run at the Belasco Theatre on July 20 (the day after Spike Lee does his live filming of the show).