Black hip rock musical Passing Strange on Broadway

THERE'S something of a generational and cultural disconnect backstage at "Passing Strange," the hip new musical in previews at the Belasco Theatre.

One the one side of this cultural divide are the show's creators: STEW, an Afro-Baroque cabaret ensemble more at home in a Berlin nightclub such as Ex 'n' Pop, where Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds once strutted their stuff, than in the Belasco, where Katharine Cornell and John Barrymore once strutted theirs.

On the other side, you have the show's producers: the mighty Shubert Organization, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, and its partner, Elizabeth I. McCann, who, though not 100, has presented nearly 50 Broadway shows.

This is, to be sure, an odd mix of people - and it's being closely watched by Broadway insiders curious to see if the old guard of producers can usher in the vanguard of musical theater.

" 'Passing Strange' is my obsession," confesses a veteran producer. "What do Liz and STEW talk about?"

Says another: "It's really bizarre. The Shuberts producing a black rock musical? Are they 'getting down' in the executive offices?"

There certainly have been some amusing moments.

The other day in the green room of "Theater Talk" (the talk show I host on PBS), Stew, the founder of the band that bears his name, said he's often baffled by the Broadway argot.

For example, the term "button": the big finish to a song that's supposed to get the audience to applaud.

Shubert chairman Gerald Schoenfeld (who, even when he's on his cellphone, still says "hold the wire" when another call comes through) thinks there should be more "buttons" on Stew's songs.

"I had no idea what he was talking about," Stew confesses. "In the rock world, you don't necessarily expect applause at the end of every number. Sometimes, songs just flow into each other."
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