Pulitzer-winning musical ‘A Strange Loop’ bows on Broadway: An ‘amazing feat’ with a ‘remarkable’ Jaquel Spivey
Every so often, a musical arrives on Broadway that fundamentally changes the art form. Just as rarely, a musical will take home the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, which has only happened 10 times in its over century-long history. With “A Strange Loop,” which just bowed on April 26 at the Lyceum Theatre, Broadway once again welcomes the rare musical that does both. Composer and librettist Michael R. Jackson’s Broadway debut has been one of the most anticipated of the entire season, and a very long time in the making. Stephen Bracknell, who directed the musical’s earlier productions, also helms this one.
“A Strange Loop” centers on Usher (Jaquel Spivey), a young, Black, queer aspiring musical theatre composer working on a show called “A Strange Loop,” who ushers Broadway musicals and grapples daily with his nagging thoughts, which take human shape via the show’s ensemble, which includes L Morgan Lee, James Jackson, Jr., John-Michael Lyles, John-Andrew Morrison, Jason Veasey, and Antwayn Hopper; these “Thoughts” also portray various figures in Usher’s life.
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For its Broadway iteration, “A Strange Loop” received rapturous reviews from critics. Maya Phillips (New York Times) names the musical a Critic’s Pick, calling it “remarkable,” “radical,” “searing and softhearted, uproarious and disquieting,” and “an amazing feat.” She applauds Bracknell’s “lively direction” and the “uninhibited choreography” by Raja Feather Kelly. She says “Spivey gives an earnest, lived-in performance” and describes Jackson as “piquant,” Veasey “suitably horrifying,” and Hopper “viperous.” Phillips concludes by saying that “it seems as if there is no measure of praise that could be too much.”
Naveen Kumar (Variety) similarly calls the production a “phenomenal feat,” a “raw and unflinching interrogation of identity and the most furiously entertaining show on Broadway,” and an “explosion of the form.” He commends Spivey for his “remarkable Broadway debut,” adding that he is a “wonderfully dynamic, expressive performer and impossible not to root for.” On the musical overall, he cites its “wicked humor and bracing bite.”
Helen Shaw (Vulture) describes “A Strange Loop” as a “stunning,” “profane, hilarious, meta-musical.” Of the cast, she says “Spivey’s voice sails effortlessly into the rafters” and also singles out John-Andrew Morrison as “excellent” for his work as Usher’s mother. Although she thinks some of the innovations from its earlier runs have worn because the musical is now “breaching the institution’s walls,” she still finds the show “fabulous, piety-smashing,” and “exhilarating.”
A Broadway musical with this much praise for its inventiveness – let alone consensus from almost every single major theatre critic – signals just how much of a juggernaut “A Strange Loop” will be at the upcoming Tony Awards. The response is not unexpected, as the work already won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama back in 2020, and our current combined odds think it will add the Tony for Best Musical to its list of accolades.
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There is no question Stephen Brackett will earn a nomination for Best Director, too, but the question remains if he can prevail over the presumed frontrunner Marianne Elliott, who reconceived Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Company,” which when it debuted in 1970 marked a huge advance in the art form, just like “A Strange Loop” does now. Elliott currently leads our predictions, but Brackett is in a very strong second place.
As Usher, Spivey delivers an unforgettable Broadway debut. The new toast of Broadway will look to win the award for Best Actor over the likes of Tony winner Hugh Jackman (“The Music Man”), Billy Crystal (“Mr. Saturday Night”), past Tony nominee Rob McClure (“Mrs. Doubtfire”) and fellow dazzling newcomer Myles Frost (“MJ The Musical”), and his performance is so impressive that he will very likely do it, too.
Since the “Strange Loop” cast is a true ensemble, its chances look a little less clear in the featured categories. As “Thought 1,” L Morgan Lee has an excellent chance at a nominated in Featured Actress, currently just one slot outside of our top five. “A Strange Loop” has five performers eligible in Featured Actor, and right now John-Andrew Morrison as “Thought 4” has emerged as the consensus pick in our odds and looks like a strong contender for a nomination in third place, behind only Matt Doyle (“Company”) and Jefferson Mays (“The Music Man”).
Jackson’s utterly unique and innovative book and score are both category frontrunners, too. Of those two prizes, it has the larger advantage in Best Book, not only because of how purely imaginative it is, but also because of its strength over the competition. In Best Score, it has an incredibly formidable competitor in “Six,” whose pop reimaginings of the stories of the six wives of King Henry VIII have become sensations.
Expect “A Strange Loop” to pick up additional nominations in the design categories, too. Even though this season features an incredibly strong roster of musicals and revivals vying for only one of five slots in these races, when Tony nominators really adore a work, they reward it with a wealth of bids, which could easily be the case with this production.
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