Passing Strange

[rm]

My mother got us tickets to this for my father's 75th birthday, and I went into it knowing nothing about it and thinking it was probably going to be Not My Thing. But no one told me this was the creation of Stew (the man who brought us "Black Men Ski" which is about the the funniest shit I have ever heard in my entire life).

Anyway, this show was fucking awesome and you must all run and see it right now, as the theatre was not very full and I cannot imagine it will last very long. The show is funny and smart and poignant and has amazing performances and music.

Early on, our hero is sitting in a blue VW Bug getting high with the director of his church youth choir. The choir director, the song of the minister is gay and rants constantly about how only Europe is real and free and everyone should go and our hero needs to go ASAP. So our hero asks, "where have you been?"

The choir director then explains that he hasn't. That his father pays his bills and keeps him on a short leash as long as he acts the way he's supposed to act.

"We're all slaves," our hero says.

"No," the choir director says. "Slaves have options. Slaves," he repeats, "have options. Escape. Revolt. Death." Then he adds quietly, "Cowards only have consequences."

GO SEE THIS SHOW. (chances are there are cheap tickets on TDF too, so if I know you and you want me to hook you up with cheapy tickets let me know).

Also, you gotta love a show with a hillarious send up of avant garde European cinema and a song called "We Just Had Sex" that opens "We just had sex. Yes, the three of us." This, after a gorgeous monologue about "Today I woke up and felt less ugly than I did yesterday."

GO SEE THIS SHIT.

Meanwhile, I have to figure out who to mug to get tickets for the 5 day engagement of Camelot at Lincoln Center -- the cheapest tickets available are $140, but I've been dying to see this show live again for almost 30 years.

Comments

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

Don't hold back - tell us how you feel.

The theater is near my office and on lunchtime walks I have walked by and seen the posters. Seems quirky. That a good adjective?

[starkeee.livejournal.com]

I saw it off-Broadway, at the Public, and loved it too. Have to find time/energy/money to catch it again - I had heard that it wasn't selling that well, alas. Hopefully it'll stick it out for the Tonys to maybe boost sales.

[roadnotes.livejournal.com]

I posted about it, and mentioned Stew. Hmph. They're recording the cast album in front of a live audience next week. I'm trying to get tickets, even if I have to play hooky.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I probably spaced it. I've had a couple of months (at least) of having the attention span of a gnat.

FYI, TDF has good seats for $35.50 via the online thing, if you know what date they're doing the recording.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

OK, OK, I'm going! It just has to hold on til April 30th....

[rm.livejournal.com]

You in particular will be very interested; there's a bit of Esther-esque stuff going on, but with a lot of rock 'n' roll and jokes about European art films.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

BLISS.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Went last night. Audience included the cast of "In the Heights" - I think some of them were sitting behind us - anyway, theatre was full and people were laughing and crying and clapping and gasping . . . waited outside the theatre for the performers, one of whom (the exquisite smaller girl with the huge eyes - who turns out to be "1/2 black, 1/2 Jewish" and grew up in Tribeca! - learned this when we asked her, "So what small community are *you* escaping from?" She says she was lucky...) said that the last 2 nights they'd had a pretty dead - or at least unresponsive - audience, which is, of course, harder to play to. It was a great night, and she says there are no plans for closing the show that she knows of - Stew says they're holding on through the Tonys, and if they win a lot of awards they'll certainly continue the run. Fingers crossed!! It's clearly a show that has to find its audience through word of mouth. Thanks for doing your bit! I wish I could remember dialogue like you do. I tried, I did. . . but it's gone.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you saw it and had a good audience (and that it's hanging on!). Our audience was a bit not getting it, especially at the beginning with the Baptist Fashion Show thing, but sex, drugs and Amsterdam were apparently a universal language.