The writer and composer of the musical nominated for 11 Tony Awards, about a young, queer Black man working as an usher in a Broadway theater, talks about mining his own life for a tale of change and self-acceptance.
« A Strange Loop », the Broadway musical that’s drawn rave reviews and earned 11 Tony nominations, centers on a very unlikely lead character: A young Black gay man named Usher who is working as an usher at a Broadway show, and is writing a musical about a young Black gay man named Usher who is working as an usher at a Broadway show – all while cycling through his own self-hatred. The entire show – book, music and lyrics – was written by 41-year-old Michael R. Jackson, who grew up in a middle-class family in Detroit. He spent almost two decades working on « A Strange Loop. »
Outside the Lyceum Theater, where a poster heralded his Tony nominations for best book and best score, correspondent Rita Braver asked Jackson, « Doesn’t get any better than that? »
« It doesn’t get any better. Any time I look at it, I, like, sort of have a geek-out moment of unbelievable joy! »
Jackson said the musical is, in part, his own story, having worked as an usher: « That is true. I worked at ‘Lion King’, ‘Mary Poppins’, and a brief seasonal stint of ‘Aladdin.' »
But he said the show, which includes some provocative language and graphic content, is more of an emotional than an actual autobiography. He turns his own self-doubt and hopes into a cast of vexing characters that embody Usher’s thoughts.
