A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15 — Page 4

Listen. I just want to celebrate the fact that this beautiful, challenging, gutsy, hilarious, heartbreaking show made it to Broadway, won the Tony, won the Pulitzer, and on a personal level, made me feel really seen.


I would love for it to have run forever, but for today, I’m celebrating the life it did have, against a lot of odds. Bravo to Michael R. Jackson, and the incredible cast and crew of A Strange Loop. It touched a lot of people in very real ways, and I’m so thrilled that I’ve had the chance to see it a few times and will have another chance to go back at least once more.

I listened to the cast recording before seeing it and was not totally crazy about all of it. I too was put off a bit by all of the sexual references and the constant use of the "N" word. I knew then that I needed to see it (Which I had planned to anyway). Upon seeing it, the score made more sense and I find myself humming some of the songs almost daily.

I will just add on that I have seen the show a few times now. There are tourists seeing the show and a lot of middle aged straight, white people are seeing it. I sat next to two couples from the midwest and chatted with them after the show. They loved it. They said it wasn't quite what they expected but they were so glad they saw it. One couple said that a friend had seen it and told them it was a must see. While it may not be a huge sellout of a show, a very wide range of people have been going to this show. And that was nice to see.

It is an amazing show with so many layers to peel back. It is raw and unapologetic. It is fine if you listen to the recording and decide it is not your cup of tea. I am glad it came to Broadway. People wanted diversity and this show gave it to us in a big way. And a lot of people I have talked to that have seen it have identified with it in various ways. It has done what it set out to do. I really hope it has a future and I too think it would do well with a sit down/mini tour in L.A. and San Fran. JMO

Updated On: 11/2/22 at 01:40 AM

binau said: "Easier said than done I guess but the #1 thing the show needs to do is record it (Netflix?). I think it could be a viral hit to a market of people who don’t buy expensive NYC theatre tickets and the LGBT community."

Love the idea, but with Netflix dramatically cutting its programming budget, I'm not sure they may be as likely a candidate as in the past.

The Distinctive Baritone said: "As someone else mentioned though, not wanting to hear about the specifics of gay sex doesn't make one homophobic.”



Hearing all these boomers clutch their pearls about said “sexually graphic” content makes me think about how liberating it was for me when RENT first came out when I was in HS. The fact that a show had lyrics like “mucho masturbation” and the way it talked about “sodomy” and “erections” was a bit shocking back then but also thrilling.

We are living in a sex positive world where having an Only Fans page is almost normalized now. I know in 10 years we will look back at this show and revel in how ahead of its time it was. The “specifics of gay sex” in ASL are just one tiny facet of the many layers that made this show truly ground breaking and brilliant.

JasonC3 said: ""All these boomers"

LMAO at such a sweeping generalization.

Norms and interests within any generational cohort are diverse anv ever-changing. Lumping everyone together based on the actions of some is the very definition of implicit bias.

No doubt among Ges Y and Z there are some less than sex positive attitudes and quite a few people who don't think that having an OnlyFans page is anything close to normalized even though many may feel the opposite."

Yeah it's like are people still using that term?? Move on hun (the people who use that term,not you :) )

Also I’d like to add that queer people have been subjected to the ins and outs (lol) of straight sex in media and the arts for the majority of our lives. I don’t have an opinion on the people who are not into it, but I would be interested to hear if they find depictions of straight sex as uncomfortable as they do gay sex.

Updated On: 10/12/22 at 08:48 AM

JasonC3 said: ""All these boomers".

LMAO at such a sweeping generalization.

Norms and interests within any generational cohort are diverse anv ever-changing. Lumping everyone together based on the actions of some is the very definition of implicit bias.

No doubt among Ges Y and Z there are some less than sex positive attitudes and quite a few people who don't think that having an OnlyFans page is anything close to normalized even though many may feel the opposite.

I happen to agree with everything you say about the boundary breaking nature of RENT and ASL, but feel no need to so callously dismiss the concerns of others who might feel differently as "clutching their pearls."

This doesn't need to be a win-lose conversation. People have different takes and view the show through different values, life experiences, interests, and tastes ... as is true for every other show that gets discussed on this site. They can coexist peacefully without one needing to be right and dominating the others."

No absolutely not homophobia is not exclusive to Boomers, its just more common among them. Any complaints about the content in ASL but willing indulging in all other aspects of the media landscape is homophobia and pearl clutching. Criticizing ASL's content while proclaiming Sweeney Todd your favorite musical is homophobic.There aren't any credible concerns anyone can offer about the content of ASL that isn't rooted in Homophobia. Your not criticizing the overall story, or the structure, or the music as a whole. It's centering on the frank gay sexual (and at points racist) nature in the lyrics. It makes people uncomfortable, as art often does because that's the point, but in this particular case they decide to check out. What is the difference between this show and something else? I can tell you, but we all know.

I do have to say again though that I think the show's biggest issue was the graphic sex stuff

There wasn't any. And if you saw the show instead of running your mouth about things you literally know nothing about, you'd know that.

The Distinctive Baritone said: "That's where poop comes out."

And blood comes out of vaginas sometimes. Bodies are gross. Sex is weird.

Also now I have Period Sex from Crazy Ex Girlfriend stuck in my head

I'm not even going to attempt to engage in this current discussion (I mean, please), but this was a groundbreaking and original show that I'm unbelievably happy to have seen. I'm heartbroken that it's closing, but I'm thrilled it made it this far (and hopeful about what it means for the future).

Closing tix are up. There’s a lot but no orch.


use code LOOPPB

Implying a common form of male on male sex is dirty / disgusting is, uh, indeed homophobic, whether you think yourself homophobic or not. And it is then implied you’re only okay with gay folks or characters as long as you don’t have to think about their sex lives. Big ol yikes that needs some examination on your part.

This is actually extremely homophobic and a clear example of how so-called “allies” can still cause so much harm to a marginalized community despite thinking their intentions are good. Shame on you