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.
Usher’s a people-person in another sense. He has six strands of “golden braid” working on him at all times: an ensemble of “Thoughts,” who alternately hector, insult, question, and discourage him. I see them as the Self-Sabotage Sextet, or in Jackson’s lexicon, “Usher’s perceptions of reality, inside and out.” Now hilariously, later terrifyingly, they represent all the negativity we battle, often transforming into the fantasies that never come to good, or the real-life friends and families who often as not disappoint. What a marvelous ensemble director Stephen Brackett has marshalled, choreographed smoothly by Raja Feather Kelly in his Broadway bow. Each Thought/reality perception is a distinct type and master of accents, and they meld like an improv company that’s been working together for ages.
The songs in the 90-minute show take us from blistering satire to bracing self-discovery, so the evening evinces a profound emotional range; our thoughts turn not so much for sustenance to Usher's Thoughts, though, as to Usher himself. That's activated, under Brackett's guidance, by Spivey's keenly permeable portrayal. Usher affects a superior air about art and is so down on himself that he sabotages his opportunity for meaningful intimacy. Even so, his honesty and pain render him entirely lovable. And the musically gifted Spivey, with his dynamic presence and openheartedness, proves the ideal vessel for docking an audience buoyantly in Jackson's thoughts. The composer-lyricist already has that Pulitzer, but now he deserves the Tony. Spivey should get one, too. Heck, give 'A Strange Loop' a lot of Tonys. That's only just, for the best Broadway musical of the 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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