Mark Stewart’s, Passing Strange, is a semi-autobiographical rock musical that apprises the story of young man’s journey to find “the real.” In this play, Stew (Mark Stewart), tells the story of his younger self traveling from his home in Los Angeles to places such as Amsterdam and Berlin to become a great artist and musician. In this production, Stew has the conviction that “the real” cannot be obtained unless he perceives and witness’s different places from around the world. I watched a filmed version of this play on the days of Tuesday, April 11, and Thursday April 13, and after watching, I can honestly that this is the most unique musical that I have ever seen. Stewart’s production of Passing Strange deserves a detailed and comprehensive
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One person that went beyond the horizon of deep quality acting was Daniel Breaker. Breaker played Mark Stewart as a young man traveling the world in search of “the real.” In this musical, the youth’s acting portrays his idea that art to is to be considered more real than life. I would have to disagree with conviction from the justification that life is the infrastructure that art is built on. I believe that “The Real,” is the appreciation of what life is. Breaker’s phenomenal acting was able to inaugurate a relationship between his life and how he was able to deal with issues of identity as a black man. Stew, Breaker, and the mother, Eisa Davis, were the only actors who played one character during entire production. Four actors, Colman Domingo, De’ Adra Aziza, Rebeca Naomi Jones, and Chad Goodridge played multiple characters during this play. I truly liked Stew’s idea to have these actors play different roles at different times, because it portrayed a deeper message embedded in the theme of the different perceptions of the young black population in different parts of the …show more content…
Lighting designer, Kevin Adams, and Scenic designer, David Korins, executed the structure of this musical in a simplistic yet creative way. My favorite element of the set design was the grand wall of distinctive lights located at the back of the stage. These lights could change color and effulgence to various levels depending on the time and place of the current scene. For example, during Stew’s time in Amsterdam, the lights were spectacular, scintillating, and colorful. This showed the promiscuous and “sexy” café culture that existed in Amsterdam during that time. The use of props in this musical was structured around a minimalist framework. There were not many actual props within the musical, but the movement and the actor’s ability to be creative provided a strong conviction for the audience to imagine different props.
In conclusion, Passing Strange, was a phenomenal rock-musical that I will be re-watching in the near future. The word “Passing” plays a big role in the title because it signifies the different stages that stew experienced while trying to find “the real.” I was highly impressed with musical due its phenomenal production elements. This essay offered a thorough analyzation of the production elements that I chose to evaluate. Passing Strange, was an exceptional rock-musical, and helped me appreciate my interpretation of “The
One person that went beyond the horizon of deep quality acting was Daniel Breaker. Breaker played Mark Stewart as a young man traveling the world in search of “the real.” In this musical, the youth’s acting portrays his idea that art to is to be considered more real than life. I would have to disagree with conviction from the justification that life is the infrastructure that art is built on. I believe that “The Real,” is the appreciation of what life is. Breaker’s phenomenal acting was able to inaugurate a relationship between his life and how he was able to deal with issues of identity as a black man. Stew, Breaker, and the mother, Eisa Davis, were the only actors who played one character during entire production. Four actors, Colman Domingo, De’ Adra Aziza, Rebeca Naomi Jones, and Chad Goodridge played multiple characters during this play. I truly liked Stew’s idea to have these actors play different roles at different times, because it portrayed a deeper message embedded in the theme of the different perceptions of the young black population in different parts of the …show more content…
Lighting designer, Kevin Adams, and Scenic designer, David Korins, executed the structure of this musical in a simplistic yet creative way. My favorite element of the set design was the grand wall of distinctive lights located at the back of the stage. These lights could change color and effulgence to various levels depending on the time and place of the current scene. For example, during Stew’s time in Amsterdam, the lights were spectacular, scintillating, and colorful. This showed the promiscuous and “sexy” café culture that existed in Amsterdam during that time. The use of props in this musical was structured around a minimalist framework. There were not many actual props within the musical, but the movement and the actor’s ability to be creative provided a strong conviction for the audience to imagine different props.
In conclusion, Passing Strange, was a phenomenal rock-musical that I will be re-watching in the near future. The word “Passing” plays a big role in the title because it signifies the different stages that stew experienced while trying to find “the real.” I was highly impressed with musical due its phenomenal production elements. This essay offered a thorough analyzation of the production elements that I chose to evaluate. Passing Strange, was an exceptional rock-musical, and helped me appreciate my interpretation of “The