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Passing Strange (Pasadena Playhouse) Most shows that win significant Tony awards, or are presented at the Tony Awards, have major tours that hit Los Angeles. Sometimes, they have minor tours (cough, Bandstand, which only came to Thousand Oaks). But some never make it out to Los Angeles until some ambitious theatre decides to mount the show. One such show is Passing Strange, which won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical back in 2008. It was nominated for seven Tony Awards (Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, Best Orchestrations, Best Leading Actor, Best Leading Actress, and Best Featured Actress), but only won the one. It also won three Drama Desk Awards, however, for outstanding musical, music and lyrics (out of seven nominations), among a number of other awards and nominations. The musical was also awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical; the Audelco Award for Best Musical, as well as Best Director (Annie Dorsen), Best Musical Director (Rodewald), and Best Performance (Daniel Breaker); and an Obie Award for Best New Theatre Piece, as well as Outstanding Ensemble. With all of that, it never toured and only has had sporadic productions (Washington, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Arlington, according to Wikipedia) since the win.

I’ll note that the other Best Musical winners that year didn’t have a lot of productions in the Los Angeles area either: There have been sporadic productions of Xanadu, and haven’t seen a single production of Cry-Baby (which I’d love to see). Of course, the winner was In The Heights, which is regularly produced. Perhaps it was the economic downturn. Perhaps it was the nature and style of the show. For whatever reason, all I know is that the Pasadena Playhouse production of Passing Strange is the first Southern California production of the show (even though it was about South Central Los Angeles). [Note that I’ll be talking about some more rarely done shows that are upcoming in my look-ahead at the end of this writeup]

By now, you should be able to guess where I was last night, after playing a bunch of games at So Cal Games Day 97.

Passing Strange is a non-traditional musical. It is a rock musical (although not all that hard, and not all that loud — certainly a very different style of rock than at Tommy over at the Pantages). It has lots of audience participation (although not at the level of coming up on the stage). It has the musicians up front. It has minimal sets and minimal props. The basic structural form is a musical narrator telling the story, with the remainder of the cast participating in that storytelliing. As such, it is hard to describe. It is a great show—don’t get me wrong there—but it is very non-traditional theatre. We enjoyed it quite a bit.

As noted, the story is told by a narrator (Ty Taylor) who is ostensibly the book author, Stew (Mark Stewart), with the story being acted out by the other actors: The Youth (Britton Smith), his Mother (Saycon Sengbloh), and the other ensemble members. It tells the story of how he went on a journey to find out what was “real”, and to find himself. He grew up in South Central LA, but is one of the more well-to-do black communities. He had a clear sense that these were black communities passing for white. The son of the church pastor, with whom he smoked pot and dropped acid, suggested he to go Europe to find the truth. He went off on a journey to find himself, spending time in Amsterdam and Berlin. All the while his Mother keeps calling him, saying she wants him to return home. She emphasizes how family is everything. But he remains in Europe. Finally, after a disappointing Christmas in Berlin where his friends there return to their families for the holiday, he decides to return home. Only, well, you can guess the rest, and figure out what he figures out.

If you want a more detailed explanation of the story, read the Wikipedia Synopsis. After all, you didn’t come here to have me regurgitate the story. You can get that by searching or asking your favorite AI tool to summarize the story of the musical. You came for my reaction.

In short: We loved it. We loved the music (although none of the songs are really stand-alone hummers). We loved the story and the ultimate message (which, if you think about it, is similar to The Wizard of Oz). We loved the performances. The Pasadena Playhouse, in the introduction of the program, characterizes this as part of the canon of great and significant American musicals. I’m not sure I’d go that far, but it is certainly significant in the canon. It is very significant in the canon of musicals that tell minority stories: musicals that tell the story of under-represented communities on stage. Such musicals are rarely produced (when was the last time you saw a production of Bring Out The Noise, Bring Out The Funk or Allegiance ?). This is well worth seeing, especially as the story is really a Los Angeles story, being told in Los Angeles, in an area with a significantly sized African American community.

The performances were remarkable, especially those of the leads: Ty Taylor as the narrator, and Britton Smith as the Youth. Taylor was out working the audience before the show, going up into the balcony to get them excited, and interacting one-on-one with audience members. Smith brought a great energy to the Youth, and truly seemed to be a younger version of Taylor. One additional thought on Ty Taylor: Watching him, I could easily see him as the next generation Andre De Shields: He had the youth, the energy, the wirey performance skills. I hope to see him again on Southern California stages.

Also strong was the remaining cast. We only saw Saycon Sengbloh’s Mother heavily in the beginning (she was great in the Baptist Fashion Show scenes); after that, she pops up from time to time on the phone. Strongly notable were Tanerélle and Brittany Campbell as a variety of female characters (notably Marianna and Desi), and Devere Rogers in his various roles, but all were great.

The on-stage musicians were more than just the background pit musicians, but were interacting with the actors, and went so far as to sing at one point.

I should note one problematic area: Sound. Microphones need to be adjusted, and it needs to be ensured they are working consistently. Especially early on, they were going in and out. There were also some volume problems in the second act.

So, should you go see this musical? I’d say “yes”, unless you’re insistent on traditional form and structure. Passing Strange tells an interesting story and held my attention (even though I was tired). The music is good, and the performances are strong.

Passing Strange continues at the Pasadena Playhouse through November 29, 2026. You can get tickets through the Playhouse website.

Credits

Passing Strange. Book and lyrics by Stew. Music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald. Created in Collaboration with Annie Dorsen. Directed by Zhailon Levingston. Choreography by Tislarm Bouie. Passing Strange was originally commissioned, developed, and produced by the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Cast [underscores indicate “at our performance”; ~~strikeouts~~ indicate “not at our performance”; ↑ indicates “swung up”]: Ty Taylor Narrator; Britton Smith Youth; Brittany Campbell Desi, Sherry, Renata; Johnny Laveie Christophe, Hugo, Terry, Reverend Jones; Devere Rogers Mr. Franklin Jones, Joop, Mr. Venus; Saycon Sengbloh Mother; Tanerélle Edwina Williams, Marianna, Sudabey.

Music Department: Greg Nabours Music Director, Keys; Kavah Rastegar Bass; Dominic Anzalone Drums; Will Yanez Guitar; Eric Heinly Music Contractor.

Production and Creative: Stew Book, Lyrics, Music; Heidi Rodewald Music; Annie Dorsen Collaborator; Zhailon Levingston Director; Tislarm Bouie Choreographer; Lawrence E. Moten III Scenic Design; Devario D. Simmons Costume Design; Jared A. Sayeg Lighting Design; Andrea Allmond Sound Design; Shelia Dorn Hair, Wig, and Makeup Design; Sasha Smith Intimacy Coordinator; Sean Spann Dialect Coach; Dria Brown Associate Director; lark hackshaw Production Stage Manager; David S. Franklin Asst. Stage Manager; Danny Feldman Producing Artistic Director and CEO.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania. If you are looking for discount tickets, TodayTix (unlike their predecessor Goldstar Events) doesn’t handle the small theatres in LA. Luckily, Theatre Source LA has a new initiative: StageRushLA for discount tickets.

At the start of this writeup, I talked about rarely done productions in Southern California. I am aware of a few upcoming, so I’ll plug them here.

Matchbox Theatre Company is doing Every Brilliant Thing at Olive Branch Theatricals after losing their home at The Main: November 13-15, 2026 (click dates for tickets).
Chromolume Theatre Company is doing Stephen Sondheim’s Roadshow (nee, Bounce!) at the Matrix in West Hollywood: November 20-December 6, 2026 (click dates for more info and tickets)
Conundrum Theatre Company is doing Big Fish: The Musical at the Broadwater Main Stage in Hollywood: December 4-13, 2026 (click dates for tickets).
Everlast Entertainment is doing Tuck Everlasting: The Musical at the Chance Theatre in Anaheim: March 19-April 4, 2027 (tickets not yet available, according to Everlast, they will be on the Chance website)

If you hear of other rarely done shows, please let me know. I’d love to see productions of Cry-Baby, Dead Outlaw, High Fidelity, Almost Famous, The Cher Show, or other rarely done musicals for which I’ve heard the music, but never seen the show.

Upcoming

Key: 🎭 Theatre / 🎼 Music / 🎙 Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (🎫 indicates ticketing is pending).

November: 🎭 Oh Mary at CTG/Ahmanson; 🎙 Dance Theatre of Harlem at The Soraya; 🎭 Every Brilliant Thing at Olive Branch Theatricals; 🎭 Road Show at Chromolume Theatre; 🎭 Destiny of Desire at CTG/Taper.
December: 🎭 Candide at LA Opera; 🎼 Go Jazz Big Band at West Ranch HS Theatre; 🎭 Big Fish at Conundrum; 🎼 Spanish Harlem Orchestra at The Soraya; 🎭 Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at CTG/Ahmanson.
January: Right now, January is open. I’m interested in Brian Stokes Mitchell at Broad Stage, but the tickets available currently are too expensive ($75 for the cheapest seats).
February: 🎭 Dead as a Dodo at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎼 Terence Blanchard & Ravi Coltrane at The Soraya; 🎼 The Best Is Yet to Come: José James Sings Frank Sinatra at The Soraya; 🎭 Fiddler on the Roof (Yiddish) at CTG/Ahmanson; 🎼 Emmet Cohen Trio with Ekep Nkwelle at The Soraya

Other shows will certainly be added (especially in January) as they are discovered.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 Finding Yourself | "Passing Strange" @ Pasadena Playhouse by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

cahwyguy

What did you do on Halloween? Perhaps you were bribing masked intruders who were going house to house demanding protection candy? After all, that’s what we do most years, and we get hundreds of masked intruders and their supervisors in our neighborhood. I think they bus them in.

But this year, we saved ourselves hundreds of dollars (bags of candy have gone up in price) and put out “Closed for Halloween” signs, for we had our season tickets for “The Who’s Tommy” at Broadway In Hollywood/Hollywood Pantages. Alas, it seemed like lots of people decided that protection candy was more important, as the theatre was only about 40% full. Evidently, Halloween is a great night to find unsold seats at the theatre.

As for Tommy: It turns out its been quite a while since we last saw the show — 2008 at CSUN, to be precise. For those unfamiliar with the show, here’s some of what I wrote back then:

For those unfamiliar with the story, Tommy is the story of Tommy Walker. It begins with a musical prologue showing the meeting of his parents, and his fathers departure for the WWII front, including his capture and internment. Mrs. Walker takes a lover upon hearing that her husband didn’t return. When Tommy is four, his father returns finding his wife and her lover inflagrante, and shoots the lover while Tommy watches everything in a mirror. His parents tell Tommy that he heard nothing, saw nothing, and is to say nothing. Tommy withdraws into himself, and is for all intents and purposes deaf, dumb, and blind. As such, he is the target of molestation at the hands of his uncle and taunting and torture at the hands of his cousin. His only solace is pinball, and he is a pinball wizard. As such, he becomes popular and hero of the neighborhood lads. Back at home, all Tommy does is stare into the mirror. Desparately trying to reach him, his mother smashes the mirror, which frees Tommy. He leaves home, and the cure is considered miraculous. His uncle and cousin capitalize on his stardom, and Tommy gives in. When one fan rushes to the stage and gets beaten, he realizes the cost of his celebrity. He invites everyone to return home, and spreads the message that the true miracle is available to everyone: to see, hear, and feel other people, not withdraw inside themselves. Of course, the crowd doesn’t like this message, wanting instant salvation, and turns away from him. Tommy is left with his family, who embraces him.

Tommy started out as a themed rock album written by the Who in 1970. I first learned of some of the songs when I got the album Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy when I was 12 or 13, as that album included “Pinball Wizard”. Back then, I thought it was heavy rock, and I was into folk. I’ve grown to appreciate the music since then.

Before I delve into this production, a few thoughts about the show in general.

First, this show centers about pinball. As such, one comes to the realization that (insert tone) “kids these days” have no idea what pinball is. When I was a kid — in fact, around the time that Tommy first was released by the Who — I would spend hours upon hours on the second floor of Music Odyssey on Wilshire Blvd in West LA playing pinball. Pinball is what kids did in the days before we had video games and computers. A mechanical game: put your quarter in a slot, and launch a silvered ball into a game field with bumpers and flippers and scoring mechanism. The object was to keep the ball in play as long as possible, earning score by launching the ball into things, and having the machine make loads of noises. You wanted to avoid a “tilt”: so called because people would lift machines to change the trajectory of the ball. A “tilt” would cause the machine to deaden the playing field, and you would lose that ball. Kids today have no idea what this is; the producers obviously didn’t either as they just represented the pinball machine with a table. If you want to learn pinball, I suggest you get to Las Vegas and go to the Pinball Museum. A much better way to throw your money away than slot machines.

Second, some of the themes of the show hit very differently in 2026 than they did in 2008 when I first saw it, and certainly differently than in 1992 when it was first on Broadway, and even more differently than in 1970, when the album was first released. Today, we understand PTSD and what it can do to the mind. That’s certainly at the heart of the Tommy story, but there was no way to really put that into words in 1970. The notion of sexual abuse of children and of bullying of children also hits very differently. Lastly, the whole cult of personality and worship of celebrity that is a key aspect of the second act of Tommy is far too common today, and I think we understand better the cost.

Now, turning to THIS production. A recent theatre review by Charles McNulty eviscerated The Music Man at CTG/Ahmanson Theatre, blaming the fact that it wasn’t an AEA (Actors Equity) production for poor acting. He compared it to community theatre. McNulty was wrong on both those points: Non-AEA doesn’t mean the acting is poor, and community theatre doesn’t imply bad. The 2019 production of The Music Man at 5-Star theatricals shows what community theatre, and a mix of Equity and non-Equity actors can do. Fault should be placed where fault is deserved: If acting is poor, then the fault isn’t the union status, it is the fault of the casting director (who picked the actors), and the production and tour directors (who are supposed to shape the acting in the show). Union affiliation is important, yes, but that’s to ensure actors get paid properly and have a safe working environment.

I bring up the McNulty review because I turned to the back of the program to see the AEA status of this show. Although the director is union (SDC) and the backstage and FOH employees are union (IATSE), this is not an AEA show. Yet, the problems with this show were not the actors or the performances themselves: they were strong, and the dancing was strong. But this show did have some problems, and I place the responsibility for those problems at the feet of the director. The director is the one responsible for the vision of a given production, and I feel the director, Des McAnuff (who was one of the original book authors), took the show in the wrong direction.

The problem, is I see it, was that he made the show far too abstract, and far too modern. Perhaps he was trying to reach the sensibility of “kids these days”. But he had a boxed-in set design for the tour that severely limited the view from the sides of the theatre (and not all theatres are narrow and long — some gain their large number of seats by being wider). He also had a design that was overly dependent on projections. Most set pieces were not realistic: they were abstract doors and tables. This heavy abstraction turned the focus away from the story and made it into a heavy dance piece. The dance was spectacular, yes, but the actual story gets lost. When you are dealing with a rock opera that wasn’t written as a musical (that is, the songs punctuate instead of advancing the story), having some realism is necessary to bring the story alive.

Further, the second act combined those projections with a heavy use of live video: video from the audience of the actors, projected behind the actors as news footage, video from actors onstage with hand-held cameras, again projected on stage; use of video screens to turn the mirrors into screens projecting images of different Tommy’s back at the live Tommy. This didn’t fit the years of Tommy, and the only real effective one was the mirror images. The live video projections were distracting and anachronistic.

The fault here lies with the directorial choices. Although the actors were not union, they were not at fault here. Their performances were strong.

In particular, I’ll note the performances of Collin Matthew Flanagan as Tommy and Mari Grossman as Little Tommy. For much of the show, they have a very hard job: being deaf, dumb, and blind. That means staring straight ahead and not reacting to the music or performances onstage, which requires a lot of restraint. They also sang very well, and Flanagan had a bit of a Pete Townshend look.

Other characters are onstage a lot less. Zach Fogel (who is a local boy, as I noticed stints at 3-D Theatricals and Candlelight Pavilion) as Captain Walker and Mia Bergstrom as Mrs. Walker were strong. Peyton Cassity was good as Uncle Ernie. I was less enamored with Kyle McFalls’ Cousin Kevin, as he overdid the accent.

Lastly: What the hell is a “Remote Swing”? It seems to me that if you are swinging into a performance track, you need to be onstage and not remote. There are no performers credited as “Remote Performers” for the “Remote Swings” to replace.

The ensemble was very strong, especially in terms of the dancing. Catching my eye was Tiyanna Gentry, who had a unique look and performance. But the characters were shifting so much, and the focus seemed more on the abstract dance, that isolating particular folks was difficult.

The Who’s Tommy continues at Broadway In Hollywood/Hollywood Pantages through November 15. Tickets are available through the Pantages website. If you enjoy the music of the Who, you’ll find the show a real trip. It really isn’t conventional music theatre, or what we think of as “rock opera” in today’s terms (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita probably destroyed that).