A Strange Loop in D.C.

Previews started this week at Woolly Mammoth Theatre downtown D.C. I saw the second performance last night and was blown away. I believe most of the ensemble (absolutely brilliant) is from the Playwrights Horizons production, with the lead played by Jaquel Spivey in what the theater is calling his first professional engagement.

The performance was extraordinary and the show is the most exciting--certainly the most fearless-- new musical I've seen in years. Glorious musical numbers and a book that is at once hilarious and devastating. It's playing in D.C. until early January. Can't wait to see it again. Supposedly this is pre-Broadway?

Hey all! New to this board but just saw Strange Loop In D.C. this past weekend and wanted to give my thoughts. This show is Bold in what it says and very fearless in its way of presenting these bold ideas. I'll keep it vague for those who don't want spoilers. These bold ideas and how they are presented have to do with race, being gay in a catholic black family, the dating world while being black and plus seized. All are done very well and don't do surface level rushed viewpoints on these issues like jagged little pill. Btw I like Jagged Little Pill but this show makes jlp look like an after school special for kids. It really get's into the nitty gritty of everything really. Think this might be the one show that can't be canceled, I mean there's one scene where the use of the n word is brought up and how it can't be used in broadway shows that makes me hooked but also confident that it can stand the the test of time without falling into big callouts. Ex: Hamilton, Deh, Book of mormon. The core focus however is usher's relationship with his family & what being gay in a catholic black family is really like. It's surprisingly comedic and not super serious throughout. This is a woke show without being in your face and annoying but smart, complex, sometimes without concrete answers. It dares to have conversations and go places most mainstream woke or regular bway shows don't dare go. If it does come to bway this season it's easily sweeping and winning best musical. This really could be a big hit considering how weak the new musical theatre scene is in New York right now. However I see this not being a huge mainstream hit considering how strange(no pun intended ) & graphic the show can be. Think it will be more of a Sondheim type hit. Overall if you can go and see this show please do it's refreshing, bold, funny, and an original musical! That is actually good! Not for all ages and meant for an edger audience.

I saw this at the Woolly Mammoth yesterday. I'll preface this by saying that I tend to like traditional (read: Golden Age) musicals, but like to keep an open mind about other works.

I think the musical is well done; it's thought-provoking and cerebral. Not everyone's cup of tea, and I think its messages resonate more strongly with those who can relate directly to the author's identity. But the music is lovely, the lyrics are provocative to say the least, and it did make me think about how we try to live contradictory lives, where one is expected to fit into boxes while also maintaining one's sense of individuality, and the admonition that one gets when he/she/they try to embrace that individuality. There are other takeaways, too, although I think it was harder for me to latch onto those.

There's some pruning that still needs to be done; I do feel like there was some meandering that didn't serve the overall plot. And it's ironic that a musical that focuses so much on intermission doesn't actually have one; the seats at the Woolly are not comfortable, so the posterior was getting a little sore by the end. (But that's not A Strange Loop's fault.)

I do wonder about A Strange Loop's commercial viability on Broadway.

To me it feels like a brilliant and amazing off-Broadway production.

I think that the production itself was a mixed bag... some things definitely needed more work, but on the whole, it helped provide a blank canvas for the score/book/performers to shine. I should preface this by saying that I saw the show when it was still in previews (a few weeks ago) so it is possible that a few things have changed since then. The exact set/lighting/orchestration used didn't necessarily feel broadway-ready, but it was very close and just needed a bigger production budget. ***SPOILERS***





When I saw the show, one of the side panels on the cross in the church from the song "AIDS is God's Punishment" ended up falling over and one of the ensemble members just held it up. Obviously, this will be less of an issue when they inevitably increase the production value when moving onto Broadway. The set change before this song was well executed and this set looked incredible. This set change and the entire church set felt like it was broadway-ready. The main set was a little boring, but that is probably a good thing because it ensures that the set isn't distracting. The show takes place largely in Usher's mind as he writes his show and recalls key memories. The brick wall serves as an ambiguous backdrop that represents Usher's mind (and ensures that the production doesn't have to do a million distracting set changes throughout the show). I thought the brick wall worked effectively, but others may easily disagree. Outside of the design though, the execution of this brick wall could have been a little better; it seemed a little cheap. For example, some of the seams in the set were visible from my seat, which was in the second row. In addition, when someone touched the set, a few parts of the set appeared to bend/move/shake unintentionally. These problems though were pretty small though and are things that would be fixed before the show moves on broadway. The choreography was suitable; it complemented the music and book well without being distracting. I thought the orchestration and sound mixing was a little problematic. At several points in the show, the orchestra overpowered the vocals, making it hard to understand what was happening. The costume design was good. Like other aspects of the production, it isn't the greatest design of all time, but it doesn't distract from the actors. A few of the costumes from "Tyler Perry Writes Real Life" seemed a little underwhelming but I'm assuming that the budget is going to be expanded prior to moving onto Broadway. The lighting design was also decent. I think there were probably only 1-2 moments when I thought the lighting design did something innovative, but it seemed pretty basic the remainder of the time. They placed a border of light around the stage (on the ground of the stage, going up onto the walls). I thought that it was pretty distracting at times and added virtually nothing to the production. It reminded me of the proscenium for Be More Chill (which Brackett also directed). Regardless of all of these minor critiques, I still REALLY enjoyed the show. I wanted to throw up and scream at the people sitting next to me (who clapped along to the beat) during AIDS is God's Punishment. I had such a visceral reaction to this show and a lot of it is attributable to Jackson's book.

Moving away from the production itself, I thought the score and book were both incredible. The show is hilarious, heartwrenching, and often both at the same time. The show felt a lot like we were watching someone's therapy session, which is why I didn't mind the few moments where it felt like it was wandering aimlessly. People don't process their thoughts in a perfectly linear or logical manner, and I felt like the meandering parts of the show made it feel like a realistic exploration of Usher's mind. In terms of the cast, I REALLY hope that Jaquel Spivey stays with the show when it moves onto Broadway. He was absolutely incredible as Usher and I feel like he has a solid shot of getting a Tony nomination for this role (depending on when exactly the show debuts on Broadway). He has the potential to have a long and distinguished career on stage. All of the Thoughts were also incredible in their roles. I honestly think Brackett's direction shined greatest with the casting choices.

Updated On: 12/14/21 at 02:28 PM

As a follow up, I called the box office and despite the fact I got my original tickets through Goldstar, they arranged front row tickets for later in the run with an amazing discount. Bravo to the Wooly Mammoth Box Office for being so thoughtful and helpful.

Larry Owens is no longer with the show