A STRANGE LOOP On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread — Page 13

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "SIX is incredibly clever for a show that's "just a concert" (which I think is a gross understatement). It knows what it is, does it well, doesn't overstay its welcome, and received rave reviews here and in London. It's got a solid store, performances, and production values, and it is written/created by queer & female newcomers to the field. It creates interesting and specific characters without bogging us down with the mundane stuff. And above all, it's a crowdpleaser .Some people here are talking about it as though it's a jukebox revue."

Compared to ASL, it is kinda a “jukebox revue” tho. And you’ve still yet to tell me how SIX is “more artful”."

I'm still waiting for this answer, ha. Especially from someone that didn't see this show.

I haven't stopped thinking about this show since seeing it at Playwrights and can't wait to visit it soon...

This show has sparked a lot of interesting conversation between me and the person I went with to the first preview. I am a zillenial white gay, and my mom, who I went with, is a white boomer. Coming out of the show she didn't understand how integral race is in this show, and kept insisting to me that A Strange Loop could be done by an entirely white cast to the same effect. I don't really talk about gay culture with her, so explaining why race is critical to the impact of the piece opened a dialogue that wasn't there before. It took a couple tries, but she now understands.

TotallyEffed said: " I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and blame the sound issues…."

I'm crying lol

Updated On: 4/25/22 at 10:44 AM

It’s finally time for the show to open as a big, Black, and queer ass American Broadway show!

Between the sound issues and any reasonably-priced tickets being in the (awful) Lyceum balcony…I love this show and wish it the best. I hope it gets the great reviews it deserves, and I hope they figure out the sound problems.

BJR said: "Had another friend see it and say he couldn't understand a single word of Exile in Gayville. Makes me concerned the show is still having Sound issues and is opening..."

I saw this last night, and also at the Woolly Mammoth in D.C. (Oddly enough, I was sitting next to the artistic director of the Woolly Mammoth - what are the odds.) Definitely some sound issues; I remember thinking at various points, "I swear I could actually hear what they were saying during the D.C. show." Because there's a lot of cross-talk and cross-singing, sound design is particularly critical for this show. The issues dampen the experience somewhat, I think.

On the second watch, I've confirmed that the show is not my cup of tea, but I respect it for being a good, unorthodox, provocative musical. The score is terrific, and the actors are incredible. Jaquel Spivey puts on an epic performance; he performs with the skill and talent of an actor who's been in the business for decades, not someone fresh out of a college MT program. I hate to single out any of the Thoughts, because all of them are terrific, but L. Morgan Lee is a particular standout.

I have to say, the brilliant scores of Matilda and this show are dense lyrically, it can be quite overwhelming on first listen. I wonder if being familiar with the score makes any sound issues less noticeable.

Jordan Catalano said: "I saw this again last night and didn’t notice any sound issues from the front mezz."

I saw it last night and didn’t notice sound issues. I sat in the rear orchestra.

The only part that was hard for me to understand was when Marcus Garvey and the others came out and introduced themselves (there was a lot of echo so it took me a few seconds to realize who they were.)

I saw this last night and ADORED it!!!!

Obviously I agree with all the things that have been said about this show so far. Jaquel is such an incredible talent, each Thought gets their moments to shine, the score and book are fabulous, and it's hilarious, heartbreaking, and cathartic.

However, I was very pleasantly surprised by elements that I hadn't really heard mentioned before.

It's obviously not some huge dance show, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the choreography. I thought it was fun, fresh, cool, and served the characters very well.

The main set was surprisingly versatile and the set for the climax was AMAZING!!! I also really respect that that whole set hasn't been featured in any of the marketing materials I've seen. It made for a much bigger effect when it's revealed. It was interesting that despite being developed by a totally different design team in a different country at a different time, it ended up looking quite similar to Company with the monochrome, the neon, boxes, and things popping up out of the ground (that's not a criticism, I loved the aesthetic for both shows)

I thought the costumes were also great and, more than the specific costumes, I was impressed but the utilization. They knew when the Thought costumes were right vs. when they needed to add elements (like the robes) vs when they needed to change entirely (Exile in Gayville) vs. when they needed character costumes.

I have one criticism and one criticism only. I was seated in the balcony and it was surprisingly comfortable and a really solid view for almost the entire show. However, right after AIDs is God's Punishment, the big set rolls backwards and the heads of the three Thoughts on the upper level were JUST out of view. L. Morgan Lee (I think. Again, couldn't see their heads) then delivers a very powerful and crucial monologue essentially conveying the whole point of the show. If she had just sat on the edge of the platform or if they had had the set moved like 5 feat forward, it would have been perfect. Instead we missed a crucial moment in a seat that was not cheap and was not labeled as partial view.

But that was seriously my only issue! Everything else was AMAZING and I am rooting for this show to get stellar reviews, win a bunch of awards, and have a solid run!

dshnookie said: "NPR Tiny Desk Concert -

https://youtu.be/ObD7Qjai55Y"

Wow. So powerful. Holding back tears. Thanks to all on this board whose earlier comments convinced me to buy tickets for late May despite knowing nothing about the show.

I’m outside the theatre. Everyone is leaving now. Here we go..

"an thrilling new show" — Time Out New York

Updated On: 4/26/22 at 09:07 PM