“A Strange Loop,” an utterly unforgettable, idiosyncratic trip into one man’s psyche, has won the best new musical Tony Award, beating more commercial fare.
Michael R. Jackson’s 2020 Pulitzer Prize drama winner is a theater meta-journey — a tuneful show about a Black gay man writing a show about a Black gay man. That show is also called “A Strange Loop.”
At its center is Usher, an unhappy playwright slumming as an usher at “The Lion King.” He is haunted by a Greek chorus of voices — his thoughts as well as homophobic family members — who pummel, undercut and berate him.
Jackson, who in real life was an usher at “The Lion King,” is also the songwriter, and he wrote the 18 songs within the Broadway tradition, a cocktail of rock and R&B, melded harmonies, ballads and belting.
“A Strange Loop” beat out “Girl From the North Country,” “MJ,” “Mr. Saturday Night,” “Paradise Square” and “Six: The Musical.”
