(Usher and his six thoughts. | Courtesy of A Strange Loop Media)
“A Strange Loop” by playwright Michael R. Jackson is a broadway musical centered around a Black queer writer named Usher who is writing a musical about a Black queer writer. That pretty much sums up the title, right?
The Tony Award-winning musical takes place in New York City and shows life through Usher’s eyes as he wrestles with “his desires, identity and instincts he both loves and loathes” all in an hour and 45 minutes.
While Usher battles with his desires, he does not go through this entirely alone. Throughout the play, the audience sees Usher’s different internal personalities come to life through his six “thoughts.”
As Gen Z is a generation with many new opportunities previous generations didn’t have, such as social media or the freedom to love whoever they want, many new battles come with it. Internet trolls, cyberbullying, or even family members who aren’t as accepting of their children being a part of the LGBGQ+ community are challenges many still face, and now some are in the public eye.
The musical is the perfect show to help face those internal fears or battles as the audience sees how Usher overcame his strange loop.
Spivey added: “I feel like we are telling a real story about somebody who exists that you probably don’t care about, but they have worth. You should think that they have worth, but since you don’t, we are going to show you why he does.”
“A Strange Loop” runs through Jan. 15.