A STRANGE LOOP receives 2020 Pulitzer for Drama

Additional finalists:

"Heroes of the Fourth Turning"

"Soft Power"

Congrats to all of these shows!

Updated On: 5/4/20 at 03:18 PM

imeldasturn said: "is it the first time that two musicals are among the finalists?"

No, Gospel at Colonus was a finalist in the year that Sunday in the Park with George won.



I expressed my feelings in the other thread, but since there's a new thread:

I find myself pretty disappointed. I have a lot of respect for what A Strange Loop was attempting to achieve, but I thought it missed the mark in a number of ways. There were quite a few other works that I thought were far more deserving this year. But I'm not surprised by the news, since my opinion is obviously the minority.

BroadwayGuy12 said: "Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the first musical to win the Prize without a Broadway production. Of Thee I Sing,South Pacific,Fiorello!, andHow to Succeed in Business without Really Tryingall opened on Broadway, andA Chorus Line,Sunday in the Park with George,Rent*,Next to Normal, andHamiltonhad all transferred to Broadway by the time they won.

*I'm not entirely certain of the timeline regardingRent's win. The Prize is typically given in mid-April, andRenthad its first Broadway preview on April 16, 1996, and I'm unsure if the Prize announcement came before or after that date. Still, its Broadway production was already in motion by the time it was awarded."

The Pulitzers were announced on April 9th that year, so technically a week before Rent transferred to Broadway (and obviously awarded based off the off-Broadway script, although I believe no changes were made to the libretto when it transferred). But as you say, obviously the transfer was well in the works by then. This would in fact be the first time a musical won without a Broadway production confirmed.

Allegedly this is a pic of Adam Pascal, Taye Diggs and Jesse L. Martin of Rent being informed that the show had won the Pulitzer Prize (1996). If so they might have been mid-rehearsal for the Broadway opening.

If we were in a normal situation, I would expect A Strange Loop & Soft Power to transfer to Broadway for next season.

Ledaero said: "ACL2006 said: "If we were in a normal situation, I would expect A Strange Loop & Soft Power to transfer to Broadway for next season."

I would think that this pandemic actual makes it quite optimal for them to hop in when everything reopens. There will be many open theaters and both shows can run on relatively low costs and don't need large attendance to stay afloat."

Soft Power is a VERY expensive show to run, the orchestra alone...

qolbinau said: "If I want to get into Strange Loop or Soft Power would the cast recordings and synopsis work as a starting point? Anything we should be aware of that might make this difficult? (E.g., important staging, concepts, importance of dialogue etc)"



Kad is correct. Soft Power is structured in such a way that the cast album really can't communicate all that's going on. The cast album only captures the "story within a story" and not the actual overarching story itself.

I'm glad to see Soft Power get some recognition. A very ambitious, if not perfect, new musical that spoke to our America.