I never saw Owens, but from videos I have seen, there is definitely a rougher, unrefined edge to his portrait of Usher - like someone else said “not afraid to be unlikeable and ugly”. Based on the script (that was awarded the Pulitzer), the Playwrights production had more in it that was darker and more coarse than what was on Broadway.
On Broadway, I found that every Usher is fundamentally different, just like all the Thoughts and their understudies.
Jaquel’s was very much naïve, but self-aware enough to know that the world is slowly trying to break him down and reduce his worth. His was loveable and sassy, making an Usher you always want to root for and by the end, just wanted to hug like a hurt puppy. Kyle’s has more sarcasm and bite and, like Larry, seems unafraid to seem unlikable at times, which belies his crystalline vocals and creates good contrast for the ultimately cathartic delivery of “Memory Song” into the title song finale. Edwin was somewhere in between there, definitely more sass than Jaquel, but less bite than Kyle. I loved them all equally.
Oddly enough, when I think of “Gospel Play”, I always shuffle around who I’d want as each if they ever performed it as a trio and I think I would want Kyle as “Ain’t Patty”, Jaquel as “Shaneefah”, and Edwin as “Michelle”
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