Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...In its savvy, simple, honest and rockin'-good-time new production of “Passing Strange,” Bailiwick Chicago makes a surprisingly powerful argument that this most personal of rock-soul musicals stands up very well without its single-moniker creator, Stew, simmering in the middle of a Broadway stage."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Bailiwick Chicago’s Midwest premiere of “Passing Strange,” the Stew and Heidi Rodewald musical created in collaboration with Annie Dorsen, is staggeringly good. And anyone in need of a reminder of how Chicago theater continues to reinvent itself is advised to head directly to the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts to catch it."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Cowritten by Stew and based on his 1980s journey--from a "colored paradise where the palm trees sway" to wild Amsterdam and Berlin just before the fall of the Wall--the show originally starred him as narrator. That role is filled to perfection here by Jayson "JC" Brooks, backed by his tight band, the Uptown Sound. Lili-Anne Brown's crafty, stripped-down production and stellar ensemble capture the urgency, hubris, and confusion of a bohemian education--and make the case that "we're all freaks, depending on the backdrop.""
Examiner
- Recommended
"... What makes Passing Strange unique isn’t the somewhat self-absorbed, autobiographical narrative singer/songwriter/performance artist Stew (who goes by one name only) created. The score’s the thing in this rule-breaking musical, a punk-to-pop hybrid of sounds that’s more Hedwig and the Angry Inch than Oklahoma."
Windy City Times
- Recommended
"...The 2008 Broadway musical Passing Strange isn't quite the same emotional roller-coaster ride as Next to Normal, but it definitely rocks out in the secure hands of Bailiwick Chicago and the local band JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts."
Centerstage
- Highly Recommended
"...Jayson Brooks’ Narrator both dominates and orchestrates the piece, sharing a story that begins in South Central LA and travels to Amsterdam, Berlin and back home again. Never leaving the stage, Brooks comments, challenges and eventually evolves into a wiser young man who’s learned from life. He is nothing short of scintillating. Newcomer Steven Perkins portrays the Youth with honesty and earnestness. A brilliant singer, actor and dancer, Perkins lovingly shares his journey through a Bohemian lifestyle. Exciting by itself, this dynamic production has definitely redefined the new BailiwickChicago for the 21st century."
Time Out Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...An extraordinary cast powers Bailiwick’s Midwestern premiere of the show. While Perkins’s sly charm as the Youth dominates, there’s not a weak spot in the supporting performances: Osiris Khepera’s waspish Mr. Franklin, Frederick’s long-suffering Mother and Aaron Holland’s wickedly brilliant Mr. Venus all contribute to Passing Strange’s rich tonal palette. Brooks, in the Narrator role first played by Stew himself, makes a snappy and engaging MC, and his Uptown Sound does wonders with Stew’s eclectic score; his relative youth, though, blunts the impact of the piece’s fearsome climax, in which the Narrator and his younger self square off over the claims of art and life before staging a dramatic resurrection to beat The Winter’s Tale. It’s a small flaw in a production that does full justice to this fascinating, inspiring work."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Somewhat Recommended
"...“Passing Strange” is an unusual musical that audiences will either like or not. Looking back on the performance I find it hard to enlighten on the things that actually made the show ticket price worthy, which there are very few of. Uptown Sound is the number reason I would recommend this show; the band has highly impressive. But the music was just not enough to drown out those atrocious lyrics. “Passing Strange” does spark a glimmer of heart but is heavily masked by bad storytelling; perhaps if you can dig through it you may be able to find the show enjoyable."
Around The Town Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Bailiwick’s mission statement says that they will strive to tell stories that stimulate their audiences and celebrate their diverse community. I will say that “Passing Strange” does accomplish most of this, in this “coming-of-age” story that allows a young man to test his talents, learn more about his culture, his creativity and even his sexuality and his relationships with his new friends, his old memories and his Mother. After he has drifted apart from his past, and the holidays are approaching, he has made up his mind that he will never see his mother again. Then he finds that all the others in his commune/home are going home for the holidays leaving him alone, allowing him to open his mind. I found this production loaded with talent but did not find the material up to what these actors deserve!"
Chicago Theater Beat
- Highly Recommended
"...Youth’s quest inevitably conjures up images of Beat Poets on the road, Kerouac-style, as they try by process of elimination to find out what they’re not. Then can come the slow creative accretion that forges their art. It’s never been so eloquent however, with this Tony Award-winning book by Stew (who played the original Narrator) and his cunning, memorable songs (co-written with Heidi Rodewald in collaboration with Annie Dorsen). James Morehad music directs the 22 numbers with a singular love for every note. The Bailiwick ensemble couldn’t be tighter or truer to this multi-textured material."
