Singer-songwriter and performance artist Stew was commissioned by the Public Theater of New York to develop Passing Strange, a heartfelt and hilarious story of a young bohemian who charts a course for "the real" through sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Loaded with soulful lyrics and overflowing with passion, the story takes the audience from black, middle-class America to Amsterdam, Berlin, and beyond on a journey towards personal and artistic authenticity. After its move from the Public Theater to Broadway, director Spike Lee and cinematographer Matthew Libatique committed the musical to film, shooting a live production on high definition cameras from multiple angles.