History Theatre / PassingStrange

* AngryBlackMan - Subverted and played with all day long. The Youth is an AngryBlackMan, but he's angry at the upper black middle class society that has "oppressed" him. (He's been oppressed but not to the extreme that he imagines.) He also masquerades as an AngryBlackMan instead of who he truly is - an artistic BlackAndNerdy, to stay at Nowhaus, a halfway house of socially conscious artists who think he's just an "American Pop Song Maker".

* BiTheWay - The Youth has threesomes with both guys and girls in Amsterdam.

* ActingForTwo - The four cast members who do not play TheNarrator, Youth, or Mom all play three major characters over the course of the show, one in each locale.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PassingStrange-1.jpg

** May fall under AlternativeCharacterInterpretation, but, as mentioned below in MeaningfulEcho, "It's alright" and "Is it alright?" pop up quite a bit meaning different things. In the beginning, it's an actual affirmation. But towards the end, Stew's asking the "Artistic" version of The Mother whether it is, in fact, alright (meaning the way he's lived his life). She does confirm that it's alright, however her face seems to imply that she doesn't believe it. Especially ironic considering that this version of the Mother is basically an in universe fictional version of the earlier character, both created by Stew/The Youth. Meaning that not only is it kind of a ruse to fool himself into accepting his choices and being okay with them, but it's a ruse that he knows he doesn't believe. Also makes the ending downright [[DownerEnding Downer]].

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Its final few performances were recorded by Creator/SpikeLee (one of the show's biggest fans) and edited into a "concert movie"-style film version, which is currently playing at the IFC theatre in NewYorkCity, and is available On Demand, and on DVD.

* ShoutOut - The lyric "The burning street where she lives", a direct parody of "On the Street Where You Live" from ''MyFairLady''.

->[[CrowningMusicOfAwesome MAMAAA! Mariana, and Moroccan hash have gotten me stoned!]]

''PassingStrange'' is a musical by Stew and Heidi Rodewald (of the band "The Negro Problem") that premiered on Broadway in 2008. It was directed by (and "created in collaboration with") Annie Dorsen, and was nominated for several Tony Awards, winning for Best Book.

Its final few performances were recorded by SpikeLee (one of the show's biggest fans) and edited into a "concert movie"-style film version, which is currently playing at the IFC theatre in NewYorkCity, and is available On Demand, and on DVD.

!!This show contains examples of:

* TokenMinority - Averted and subverted hard - the entire acting cast is African American or Mixed Race, but in Amsterdam and Berlin are playing European or Caucasian characters which you don't realize until the Youth uses the fact that he is black to stay in Nowhaus. He then basically becomes the TokenMinority in a [[MonochromeCasting all-black cast.]]

Its final few performances were recorded by SpikeLee (one of the show's biggest fans) and edited into a "concert movie"-style film version, which is currently playing at the IFC theatre in NewYorkCity, and is available On Demand, and on DVD.

* AngryBlackMan - Subverted and played with all day long. The Youth is an AngryBlackMan, but he's angry at the upper black middle class society that has "oppressed" him. (He's been oppressed but not to the extreme that he imagines.) He also masquerades as an AngryBlackMan instead of who he truly is - an artistic BlackAndNerdy, to stay at Nowhaus, a halfway house of socially conscious artists who think he's just an "American Pop Song Maker".

* BlackAndNerdy - Youth. Also his high school bandmates Terri and Sherri.

-->'''Stew:''' The wriggling bait on God's fishing hook.

-->'''Stew:''' She was the Master's bait,

-->'''Edwina:''' Airbrushed by the Almighty!

* INeedToGoIronMyDog - Most of the Nowhaus crew has the good sense to leave during an argument between the Youth and Desi... except Hugo, Desi's ex.

-->'''Sudabey:''' COME SEE THE GODDAMN MINI-SKIRT!

* LiteraryAllusionTitle - [[{{Othello}} "She swore, in faith, 'twas strange, 'twas '''passing strange'''"]]
* MeaningfulEcho -The song "It's Alright" [[spoiler: First said by [[CureYourGays Mr. Franklin]] trying to convince the Youth that he is okay after he confessed that he is basically a coward. Sung again in Amsterdam when the Youth is openly accepted without question into his "new family". Youth begs his mother to answer the question "Is it alright?" when she rings on the Christmas Eve before she dies right near the end of the show. All she can reply with is "I love you." Finally sung by the "artistic" version of the Youth's late mother, the version of her brought back to life by song. Stew, the grown-up Youth (as we have probably figured by now) repeatedly asks her "Is it alright?" to which she sings "Yes, it's alright" and leaves him.]]

** The Nowhaus group also indulges in fourth wall breaking, particularly when they critique Marianna's song (titled Keys) from earlier in the show. Who starts the argument? Sudabey - who in the first act is actually ''Marianna!''

* ShoutOut - The lyric "The burning street where she lives", a direct parody of "On the Street Where You Live" from ''MyFairLady''.

-->Nein my momma. Nein my momma. Nein my momma.

* WhatIsGoingOn? - Sung literally by the Youth as he enters the Mayday riot of Berlin. Also sung by Stew at the beginning of the play.
--> '''Stew:''' We're gonna do a little play since you came for that. A play where this band tells you where it's at. So just follow along, just follow along, just follow along ! ...or if you're ever not sure what we're all about - just ask the song, just ask the song, just ask the song!

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* TheTropeSong - "Mom Song"

-->'''Desi:''' *mocking the other actress* "My keys, my keys! My name's De'Adre, and I sang Keys in the first act!" It's the same fucking actress, everybody knows her! She's pretending she doesn't sing that song!

** The Nowhaus group also indulges in fourth wall breaking, particularly when they critique Marianna's song from earlier in the show. Who starts the argument? Sudabey - who in the first act is actually ''Marianna!''

* "You know, absence really does make ze heart grow into a state of mind which somehow transforms what you once could not stand about your family into a somehow, quaint pleasure-giving construct."