“Passing Strange” celebrates its 20th anniversary with a stage return: Saycon Sengbloh and Ty Taylor lead the cast at Pasadena Playhouse

The musical “Passing Strange” will return to the stage in a new 20th-anniversary production at California’s Pasadena Playhouse, as Playbill reports. The production, directed by 2026 Tony winner Zhailon Levingston, will run from November 4 to 29, marking the work’s Los Angeles premiere; the official opening night is set for November 8.

The cast will be led by Ty Taylor, lead vocalist of the band Vintage Trouble and also known from the series “Vinyl”, in the role of the Narrator; Britton Smith (“Be More Chill”) takes the role of Youth, while Tony-nominated actress Saycon Sengbloh (“Eclipsed”) plays Mother. The ensemble includes Brittany Campbell (the national tour of “Hamilton”), Johnny Laveie (“The Book of Mormon”), Devere Rogers (“Chicken & Biscuits” on Broadway) and the singer, songwriter and model Tanerélle.

“Passing Strange”, with book and lyrics by Stew and music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, follows Stew’s autobiographical journey from a lost young man in South Central Los Angeles to an intercontinental odyssey of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll. The work premiered on Broadway in 2008, winning seven Tony nominations and taking the trophy for Stew’s best book; the original production was created in collaboration with Annie Dorsen, who directed the first staging.

Levingston, who won the 2026 Tony for best direction of a musical together with Bill Rauch for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and made his Broadway debut at the helm of “Chicken & Biscuits” in 2021, directs the new production, presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. The creative team includes music director Greg Nabours, choreographer Tislarm Bouie, set designer Lawrence Moten, costume designer Devario Simmons, lighting designer Jared Sayeg and sound designer Andrea Allmond, while casting was done by Ryan Bernard Tymensky’s RBT Casting.