Review: A STRANGE LOOP at American Conservatory Theatre

There was a considerable buzz of excitement at the West Coast premiere of Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop. Could the musical live up to the hype generated by its eleven Tony nominations and wins for Best Musical and Best Book? That would be a hell yes! Right from the opening number “Intermission Song,” A Strange Loop bursts with a kinetic energy and excitement not felt since Hamilton blew my mind. Following Usher, a fat Black queer man writing a musical about a Black queer man writing a musical, A Strange Loop is as near a perfect piece of theatre you’re going to experience, moving from hysterical riffs on online dating, Tyler Perry and ‘white theatre’ to emotionally devastating topics of fat shaming, homophobia, rejection,  and intersectionality.

Working as an usher at Disney’s Lion King, Usher, played with utter sincerity and innocence by Malachi McCaskill, can’t seem to get his musical on track. Doesn’t help that he’s constantly heckled by his inner thoughts brilliantly channeled by Tarra Conner Jones (Thought 1), J. Cameron Barnett (Thought 2), Avionce Hoyles (Thought 3), John-Andrew Morrison (Thought 4), Jordan Barbour (Thought 5), and Jamari Johnson Williams (Thought 6). Bursting forth from Arnulfo Maldonado’s simple six box set design, the Thoughts are compartmentalized anxieties and manias that overwhelm and crush Usher’s spirit.

Add to the mix Usher’s parents – his bible thumping mother wishing he would just write a cute Tyle Perry gospel play and his homophobic, alcoholic father who leaves disturbing voice mails asking if Usher is attracted to him. The score is sharp and focused: Usher’s rage against the gay community’s rejection in "Exile In Gayville", being accused as a race traitor for not liking Tyler Perry’s work in “Tyler Perry Writes Real Life”, and the sardonic "Precious Little Dream/AIDS Is God's Punishment") which concludes living with AIDS is worse than dying from it.

The original creative team is at the top of their game here, helmed by director Stephen Brackett who began work on development of A Strange Loop with Jackson in 2012. The cast is phenomenal across the board, with a standout performance by McCaskill that is endearing and heartbreaking. Jackson has included many topics here, but it all works and never feels cluttered. There’s a raw, authentic narrative driving A Strange Loop that hasn’t been seen before and it’s a welcome revelation. It's genuinely a gay Black experience that becomes a universal riff on art, self-expression and how we the reject each other. Both harshly real and comically absurd, A Strange Loop, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama provides us with Usher, a touching, sympathetic and extremely relevant everyman character.

A Stange Loop continues through May 12th. Tickets available at http://www.act-sf.org/strangeloop

Photo credit: Alessandra Mello

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