Direct from Broadway and making its Los Angeles premiere in a limited engagement, the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner is set to make waves for the general audience. In the award-winning musical, a young black man named Usher is writing a musical about a young gay man who’s writing a musical about a young man… becoming a strange loop. In the process, he begins to wrestle with his own thoughts and is visited by a straight-talking ensemble who helps the audience understand Usher’s emotions, identity, instincts, intuitions, past, and struggles.

With a book, music, and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson and direction by Stephen Brackett gift us an accurate story of what it is to be a person of color in the LGBTQA+ community. The creative team does not pull back from introducing topics that can be uncomfortable for some, but are important to showcase at a mainstream level. The musical is not impressive when it comes to set pieces, as it feels that the creative team’s goal was to focus on a realistic and important subject. The musical has no boundaries when it comes to speaking about Usher’s loathing and emotions. For example, the musical is so explicit at one point that it feels righteous to let go and demonstrate a proper narrative of a gay man’s sexual desire and teachings of sexually transmitted diseases. The creative team also does a remarkable job with their approach to show Usher’s emotions through distinctive characters that bring humor in bittersweet moments and help Usher’s story become stronger and more impactful.

It is hard to say who from the ensemble stands out, as everyone delivers an eye-catching performance. The whole ensemble fits like a glove, which feels like perfection. As for Malachi McCaskill who plays Usher, his performance showcases vulnerability, sorrow, and integrity. He is also a good tool for understanding how an actor can do a swell job of spotlighting raw emotions that anyone from any path of life can reliable to.

There are many reasons why ‘A Strange Loop’ should be seen as it examines the ideology of a gay man, Yes, the creative team uses a black man to inform others

‘A Strange Loop’ is black excellence due to its powerful storytelling, message to be yourself, and breaking of the fourth wall to understand beyond the ideology of a gay person of color.

‘A Strange Loop’ will be at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles until June 30th.