Passing Strange To Play Final Performance July 20

The Broadway musical Passing Strange will end its run at the Belasco Theatre (111 W. 44 St.) following the matinee performance on Sunday, July 20. The show will have played 20 previews and 165 performances.

Passing Strange will conclude its 6-month Broadway run on an up note with the announcement earlier this week that film director Spike Lee will make a film of the musical, shooting two performances of the show in front of live audiences on Saturday, July 19 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets to those performances are on sale now to the public.

With book and lyrics by Stew, music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, directed by and created in collaboration with Annie Dorsen, Passing Strange began previews on Broadway on February 8 and opened on February 28.

The musical received 2008 Best Musical Awards from the New York Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Village Voice Obie Awards. As well, Stew received the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.

In announcing the closing of Passing Strange, producer Gerald Schoenfeld of The Shubert Organization says, "We are extremely proud of Passing Strange and its many accomplishments on Broadway. That Spike Lee will film the show is a crowning achievement and represents a milestone in the American musical theatre. We appreciate the support of the show's many ardent fans that have helped keep it running."

Producer Elizabeth Ireland McCann adds, "Passing Strange has been an unparalleled experience for me as a lifelong theatre lover. I cannot express how genuinely proud I am of the show, the brilliant creators, the fantastic cast, the band and every member of the Passing Strange family. We brought a show to Broadway and, at the very least, shook things up a bit."

Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of The Public Theater where Passing Strange had its NY debut last year notes, “Passing Strange is a risky, thrilling American Musical that has introduced an exciting new voice to the American Theater. The Public is proud to have given it birth; and we will be forever grateful to Jerry Schoenfeld and Liz McCann, the lion and lioness of Broadway, who were willing to support Stew, Heidi and Annie's vision.”

Passing Strange stars Stew, de'Adre Aziza, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Chad Goodridge, Rebecca Naomi Jones and Daniel Breaker. Also featured in Passing Strange are the on-stage band, Heidi Rodewald, Jon Spurney, Christian Cassan, and Christian Gibbs.

Passing Strange is the tale of a restless young black musician who leaves his middle-class upbringing to travel the world, only to discover that the voyage within is the one that matters most.

Passing Strange performs Tuesdays at 7, Wednesdays at 2 and 8, Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.

For performance and ticket information call 212-239-6200, http://www.telecharge.com/. Further information is available online at: http://www.passingstrangeonbroadway.com/.