On April 14, 2008, lucky fans of the critically-acclaimed musical PASSING STRANGE had the opportunity to be part of a rare event on Broadway, when the cast, band and creators of the show performed the songs in a bare-bones recording session -- no lights, no set, no costumes, no scenes from the play -- on the stage of the Belasco Theatre where the show played.

With book and lyrics by the popular singer/songwriter Stew, and with music by Stew and his longtime musical partner Heidi Rodewald, PASSING STRANGE is directed by and created in collaboration with Annie Dorsen. PASSING STRANGE is the first musical by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, best-known for their rock-and-roll music since 2000 when they formed the band STEW, promptly winning two Album of the Year Awards from Entertainment Weekly for their acclaimed works "Guest Host" and "The Naked Dutch Painter." Previously in 1995, Stew had formed the band The Negro Problem.

PASSING STRANGE is the coming-of-age story of a middle-class youth seeking to find 'the real' by embarking on a
journey of escape and exploration: he leaves the confines of his upbringing and discovers that the further he travels the more it is that the voyage within is the one that counts.

The PASSING STRANGE recording features the original Broadway cast: de'Adre Aziza, Daniel Breaker, Eisa Davis,
Colman Domingo, Chad Goodridge, Rebecca Naomi Jones and Stew, himself, as well as the band of musicians, who join the cast on-stage at the Belasco Theatre each night, including the musical's co-creator Heidi Rodewald, along with Jon Spurney, Christian Cassan and Christian Gibbs.

Prior to the recording session, Stew said: "A live recording session of PASSING STRANGE will be a wildly unique
event." "More than just a live show document or a studio recording, we are aiming for a freaky hybrid of the two. The
audience will be in on the process, witnessing it. Heidi Rodewald and I have always tried to bring the spontaneity of
live performance into our studio recordings. But now, through the magic of theater, the studio is coming to the Belasco. And that's a lot more convenient than trying to fit several hundred people onto those black leather sofas in a recording studio."