Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning, blisteringly funny masterwork exposes the heart and soul of a young artist grappling with desires, identity, and instincts he both loves and loathes. Hell-bent on breaking free of his own self-perception, Usher wrestles with the thoughts in his head, brought to life on stage by a hilarious, straight-shooting ensemble. Bold and heartfelt in its truth-telling, A STRANGE LOOP is the big, Black, and queer-ass Great American Musical for all.
As directed by Stephen Brackett, 'A Strange Loop' presents a dilemma for critics. It has many stunning sequences and, more than any musical in years, charts a brave path determined to confront not just the assumptions of the genre but their impact on those who take up the mantle of writing them. But it will not appeal to a broad swath of the theatergoing population. It's not for kids. It likely will offend Black conservatives. And some gay theatergoers will not care for its amplification of self-loathing, nor its determined argument that racism is always in the bedroom.
But as I am writing this, it occurs to me that what Jackson does with 'A Strange Loop' isn't just write a musical with catchy tunes and clever lyrics. He's also successfully testing the conceit of how the universal is rooted in the specific. In making the lead character a fat, Black gay man, within an industry (and larger society) that prioritizes and idolizes skinny, white bodies, Jackson is making a Black gay man an embodiment of the universal. And he's also written one of the best, and the most groundbreaking, new musicals of the Broadway season.
2019 | Off-Broadway |
Playwrights Horizons World Premiere Off-Broadway |
2020 |
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Production |
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2022 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2023 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Jaquel Spivey |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | L Morgan Lee |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Jaquel Spivey |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Musical | A Strange Loop |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Jaquel Spivey |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Michael R. Jackson |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Stephen Brackett |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Jen Schriever |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | A Strange Loop |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Charlie Rosen |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Michael R. Jackson |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Michael R. Jackson |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | John-Andrew Morrison |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Jaquel Spivey |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | L Morgan Lee |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Arnulfo Maldonado |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | Drew Levy |
2021 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Awards | Jaquel Spivey |
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