A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15- Page 3
A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
SouthernCakes
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
#50A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 4:55pm
I mean, helllo, look at all the Lizzo backlash.
im hoping I can fly in and see this. Doubt it would do a tour but would love to see Center Theater / Goodman / San Fran do a little mini tour. I mean it won the Tony and the Pulitzer. It’s just hella expensive to exist currently so I don’t think people are really taking chances on new shows.
#51A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 5:22pm
Why are people blaming the marketing? Having "Big, Black, and Queer" on every single ad perhaps wasn't going to bring in straight white tourists and suburbanites, but trying to make the play seem "universal" and make it not seem like a gay story (like Fun Home did with its marketing) would defeat the entire purpose of the show's existence.
I do have to say again though that I think the show's biggest issue was the graphic sex stuff. A show's cast recording is its biggest marketing tool, and lines and lyrics about things like rectal prolapse and c*mming on someone's chest probably made even some of the most gay-friendly straight people (i.e. me) decide this was not something they wanted to go see.
ElephantLoveMedley
Broadway Star Joined: 10/14/21
#52A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 5:33pm
The Distinctive Baritone said: "lines and lyrics about things like rectal prolapse and c*mming on someone's chest"
Yup—thank you. There have been a lot of people on here accusing others of being homophobic and unable to withstand discussing and seeing gay sex on the Broadway stage. I am literally a gay man who has had many of the experiences that Usher goes through in the show, but still, the level of graphic detail that this show went into made me cringe multiple times. This isn't about being an ally or a foe to the gays; it's about having an expected level of decorum when you see a Broadway show.
A Strange Loop accomplished a lot in terms of representation on the Broadway stage but it just went way too far in some areas for it to have any chance of a long commercial life.
BdwyFan
Featured Actor Joined: 3/1/10
#54A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 5:41pm
Sebby150 said: "hearthemsing22 said: "Good for them though-I looked on Telecharge and the final performance is already sold out!"
Do we know if it sold out or they just pulled them for now and they'll go back up?"
The final show has not been put up for sale yet,
#55A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 5:47pm
Slitting people's throats and then serving them up in pies is okay, though?
Beyoncé is not an ally. Actions speak louder than words, Mrs. Carter. #Dubai #$$$
#56A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 5:48pm
I applaud this show for not sugar coating-these issues and experiences. The black experience, the queer experience, the fat experience...all have been sugar-coated or simply ignored for too long. Just because it makes you uncomfortable doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
I'm sure many audiences past didn't consider South Pacific, A Chorus Line, or RENT to have "decorum." Thank goodness they were still produced.
#57A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 5:58pm
n2nbaby said: "Sebby150 said: "hearthemsing22 said: "Good for them though-I looked on Telecharge and the final performance is already sold out!"
Do we know if it sold out or they just pulled them for now and they'll go back up?"
The final show has not been put up for sale yet,"
I'm pretty sure they had 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows on sale for 1/15 before today's announcement, so maybe they're getting rid of the evening and making it a 3 p.m. final performance.
#58A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 5:59pm
Jay Lerner-Z said: "Slitting people's throats and then serving them up in pies is okay, though?"
Honestly, I am pretty squeamish about certain blood things so it's pretty ironic that Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical. I actually thought the film version was way too graphic - on stage the throat slittings are usually done with little to no blood.
As someone else mentioned though, not wanting to hear about the specifics of gay sex doesn't make one homophobic. Do you want to hear about the specific sexual acts your grandparents do together? No? But you still love them? That's my point.
JSquared2
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/23/17
#59A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 6:19pm
TotallyEffed said: "I applaud this show for not sugar coating-these issues and experiences. The black experience, the queer experience, the fat experience...all have been sugar-coated or simply ignored for too long. Just because it makes you uncomfortable doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
I'm sure many audiences past didn't consider South Pacific, A Chorus Line, or RENT to have "decorum." Thank goodness they were still produced."
I'm also pretty sure that none of those shows included forcible anal penetration (well, maybe South Pacific)! There aren't a lot of Gen Zers bringing MeeMaw to a matinee of ASL.
#60A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 6:22pm
Alright, Angels in America, then! Happy? 
#61A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 6:23pm
ASL doesn't include that either. It's not real.
Beyoncé is not an ally. Actions speak louder than words, Mrs. Carter. #Dubai #$$$
#62A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 6:44pm
Jay Lerner-Z said: "ASL doesn't include that either. It's not real."
Book of Mormon does although it’s with a book.
JasonC3
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/22/21
#63A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 6:47pm
I don't think it is controversial to say that if you're an average NYC visitor, particularly one with family in tow, and you can afford to see one maybe two shows while you are in the city, that A Strange Loop might not make it into the final selection round.
That's neither a knock on the quality of the show or the importance pf its subject matter, nor the taste of the theatregoers. People have to make choices.
I'm coming for a week-long trip the end of the month and even with seeing shows in every possible slot, some shows still did not make the cut.
Andres LaFrazia
Swing Joined: 11/28/21
#64A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 6:54pm
A Strange Loop Closing Reaction & Why HadesTown Is Next
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMedBKmamlI
ErmengardeStopSniveling
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/18
#65A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 7:01pm
It's amazing that this made it to Broadway in the first place. Lucky to have seen it a handful of times over the years, and it grows richer each time.
#66A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 7:09pm
TaffyDavenport said: "n2nbaby said: "Sebby150 said: "hearthemsing22 said: "Good for them though-I looked on Telecharge and the final performance is already sold out!"
Do we know if it sold out or they just pulled them for now and they'll go back up?"
The final show has not been put up for sale yet,"
I'm pretty sure they had 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows on sale for 1/15 before today's announcement, so maybe they're getting rid of the evening and making it a 3 p.m. final performance.
"
Shoot. I hope not. I bought two tickets to the 7pm show just before they went off sale
Check out my eBay page for sales on Playbills!!
www.ebay.com/usr/missvirginiahamm
JasonC3
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/22/21
#67A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 7:55pm
Andres LaFrazia said: "A Strange Loop Closing Reaction & Why HadesTown Is Next
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMedBKmamlI"
I've noticed this seems to be an emerging norm. People posting a quick message here to redirect us to their youtube or TIkTok. Interesting.
#68A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 8:55pm
Went ahead and grabbed tickets for me and my friend for the Wednesday evening performance of our trip.
TheatreFan4
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/12/09
#69A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 10:38pm
The Distinctive Baritone said: "I do have to say again though that I think the show's biggest issue was the graphic sex stuff. A show's cast recording is its biggest marketing tool, and lines and lyrics about things like rectal prolapse and c*mming on someone's chest probably made even some of the most gay-friendly straight people (i.e. me) decide this was not something they wanted to go see."
It's a show about someone's experiences and identity. Mulling over why this didn't play for 3 years to reasonable grosses is... very stupid. Everybody know. No producer who is actively involved in theatre who invested money on the project (and not just a celebrity who threw money at it like RuPaul & Jennifer Hudson) thought that it'd have long legs. It's graphic and it should be. Some of the most highest profile Oscar winning films were financial losses. The numbers game is not always the point. The larger successes they back allow them to fund smaller niche risky projects like this. If it turned around and made money I'm sure they'd be thrilled, but they didn't go in with that expectation.
But as for you, someone who is well versed in theatre and knows there more value to art than hearing the words in your ear should know better. They're just words, they're not going to hurt you, they'll make you feel uncomfortable at best. They're not performing graphic sex acts on stage. As you said yourself, your love of Sweeney Todd is hypocritical. You can take the act of slitting a throat and making people into food in a theatrical setting, but sexual words hurt you? Grow up.
ElephantLoveMedley said: "Yup—thank you. There have been a lot of people on here accusing others of being homophobic and unable to withstand discussing and seeing gay sex on the Broadway stage. I amliterallya gay man who has had many of the experiences that Usher goes through in the show, but still, the level of graphic detail that this show went into made me cringe multiple times. This isn't about being an ally or a foe to the gays; it's about having an expected level of decorum when you see a Broadway show.
A Strange Loopaccomplished a lot in terms of representation on the Broadway stage but it just went way too far in some areas for it to have any chance of a long commercial life."
You're lying if you think that homophobia played no role in why the show had as short of a run as it has. The show branded itself as "Black, Queer, Fat" and that carried through all the show's marketing. The sexual stuff, doesn't even begin until the 5th song on the cast recording and if you made it that far you already know whether the show is for you or not. No it's not a tourist show, but is also not one designed for you to bring Grandma too. A lot shows aren't. It did more than doing something for representation on Broadway, it's a good show and had they not pushed those areas then it wouldn't have been. It's unashamed to be an unfiltered view of a particular fat gay black man's life that is also relatable to plenty of other people who fall into even just ONE of those categories. People in this show's audience KNEW that it wouldn't have legs for long running production because they know the world we all live in. The fault wasn't in the times the show delved into the reality of the gay sexual marketplace. That's a cop out to run away from it as confirmation of their prior ideas about the premise of the show from the jump. Hair is FULL of vulgarity and the revival played for over a year being very financially successful. It was going to be performed on NBC. I wonder what the difference is and why the themes and language used in Hair are more palatable for a general audience. It's a mystery, really. Avenue Q ran for 6 years on Broadway, another decade off Broadway. Vulgarity is not the issue, it's the WHO it's about that is the problem. Having to confront gay sex has always been a problem with the straight community. It's what heterosexual society has ALWAYS centered Gayness as. They will all live whatever perverted sexual lives they want, but having anything repeated back to you from a gay perspective suddenly we've got problems with marketability.
#70A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 11:14pm
TheatreFan4, I’m sorry that a show that you enjoyed is closing. But hurling insults over the internet at someone you don’t know because they don’t feel the same way you do is not going to help your grief.
Also, since as far back as the Greeks, when it comes to theatre, words describing violence (whether it’s Oedipus gauging out his own eyeballs or Usher having his butt shredded by an Inwood Daddy) tend to be more visceral than staging it in a literal way.
But perhaps I am being “very stupid” in taking the time to thoughtfully analyze the commercial failure of a major theatrical and cultural event. I guess I should instead “grow up” and post knee-jerk overly emotional reactions to things I don’t agree with instead.
TheatreFan4
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/12/09
#71A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 11:26pm
The Distinctive Baritone said: "TheatreFan4, I’m sorry that a show that you enjoyed is closing. But hurling insults over the internet at someone you don’t know because they don’t feel the same way you do is not going to help your grief.
Also, since as far back as the Greeks, when it comes to theatre, words describing violence (whether it’s Oedipus gauging out his own eyeballs or Usher having his butt shredded by an Inwood Daddy) tend to be more visceral than staging it in a literal way.
But perhaps I am being “very stupid” in taking the time to thoughtfully analyze the commercial failure of a major theatrical and cultural event. I guess I should instead “grow up” and post knee-jerk overly emotional reactions to things I don’t agree with instead.
"
Your "thoughtful analysis" consisted of they use a lot of vulgarity and its not a tourist show! Not exactly groundbreaking. Why it didn't have a longer life (not even a LONG one, but finishing out a year) is simple. It's because because it's about the life of a gay black man that didn't sugarcoat **** so it had to deal with the brunt of homophobia from straight audiences who don't WANT to think of gay sex. They're okay seeing other shows that put them in uncomfortable situations, but confrontation with gay sex is a bridge too far. But had it pulled its punches and sugar-coated things, it would not have gotten as far as it did. It would have never gotten to see the light of day.
God forbid people acknowledge the homophobia the show faced from audiences while watching them makes excuses for every other piece of vulgarity they see in shows they enjoy. Again, your favorite musical is Sweeney Todd. You are a HYPOCRITE, my love.
You have a problem with theatre that makes you confront parts of yourself. Equating gay sex with watching your grandparents have sex as if they're in anyway comparable. All you're saying is that you find hearing about gay sex as bad as hearing your family members have sex. See the problem here? Perhaps we look a bit inward. I'm not being knee jerky or emotional, I just see bull**** coming from someone who calls themselves a patron of theatre.
Sutton Ross
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
#72A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 11:28pm
Brilliant comments, TheatreFan. You are 100% right about all of it.
Sutton Ross
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
#73A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 11:30pm
The Distinctive Baritone said: "Why are people blaming the marketing? Having "Big, Black, and Queer" on every single ad perhaps wasn't going to bring in straight white tourists and suburbanites, but trying to make the play seem "universal" and make itnotseem like a gay story (likeFun Homedid with its marketing) would defeat the entire purpose of the show's existence.
I do have to say again though that I think the show's biggest issue was the graphic sex stuff. A show's cast recording is its biggest marketing tool, and lines and lyrics about things like rectal prolapse and c*mming on someone's chest probably made even some of the most gay-friendly straight people (i.e. me) decide this was not something they wanted to go see."
Yeah, that's just a lie. Thousands of white tourists and suburbanites saw and loved this show. And unless you saw the show, stop going on and on about it. Seriously, just shut up about things you know nothing about.
#74A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 11:43pm
ElephantLoveMedley said: "The Distinctive Baritone said: "lines and lyrics about things like rectal prolapse and c*mming on someone's chest"
Yup—thank you. There have been a lot of people on here accusing others of being homophobic and unable to withstand discussing and seeing gay sex on the Broadway stage. I amliterallya gay man who has had many of the experiences that Usher goes through in the show, but still, the level of graphic detail that this show went into made me cringe multiple times. This isn't about being an ally or a foe to the gays; it's about having an expected level of decorum when you see a Broadway show.
A Strange Loopaccomplished a lot in terms of representation on the Broadway stage but it just went way too far in some areas for it to have any chance of a long commercial life."
Did you ever think that maybe you were supposed to cringe? There is ONE sex scene. I would not really call it graphic. It is more about what is being said during the scene than what is happening. And they're is no nudity.
Just give the world Love. - S. Wonder
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