Passing Strange to Close July 20th

The producers of the adventurous Broadway musical Passing Strange announced today that the show will play its last performance at the Belasco Theater on July 20th. This is no surprise, given that the show played to 37% capacity last week. By the time it closes, it will have played 165 performances and 20 previews. It's unlikely that the show will have made its initial investment in that time, particularly considering that it was playing to less than 50% capacity during much of its run.

Co-creators Stew and Heidi Rodewald have both expressed interest in touring the show, although there are no concrete plans at this time. As previously announced, director Spike Lee will film the show shortly before it closes for possible theatrical release or for viewing on cable TV.

As I said in my review and my recent revisit, I found Passing Strange to be an admirable but flawed musical, one that stretched the form in a number of remarkable ways. Many considered it the best new musical of the season. As I've mentioned numerous times, I'll reserve that distinction for the brilliant Adding Machine. But Passing Strange represents a number of encouraging trends, including a greater representation of mainstream musical tastes on Broadway, and an increased willingness on the part of mainstream producers to take chances on new and interesting voices. I doubt we'll see Stew himself again on the Rialto, but we'll hopefully see more of his kind.