Why I cried at the end of Spike Lee’s film version of the stage show
Passing Strange on Great Performances:
- Stew the book writer, lyricist, and co-composer says as the narrator towards the end of the show, “Whatever you do: rock on.”
- Heidi Rodewald, Stew’s musical collaborator, plays bass in the band.
- The pit musicians are actually in cut outs in the stage and they interact at times with the actors.
- There are six actors, besides Stew, with four playing multiply roles with different dialects. And they all sing the hell out of the show.
- The quick peek backstage during intermission.
- The Real. And the “Right when it was getting real” devastation.
- Art, family, music, world.
- The extended curtain call and the hardcore, passionate singing and dancing.
- “Love is more than Real.”
- The creators, actors and musicians so obviously love this show and being a part of it. And how that feeling and energy came through the TV. And made me cry.
What did I learn from Passing Strange? Family can be taken for granted and many realize too late. The Real may not be what you think it is. Art heals. I love theatre but I already knew that. “Yeah, it’s all right.”
