Reviews are rolling in for the Off-West End premiere of Michael R. Jackson's A Strange Loop, which opened at the Barbican Theatre June 29 after beginning performances June 17. Kyle Ramar Freeman makes his Off-West End debut as Usher after understudying the role on Broadway.
Freeman is joined by an all-British cast of Thoughts, including Sharlene Hector, Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea, Yeukayi Ushe, Tendai Humphrey Sitima, Danny Bailey, and Eddie Elliott. Rounding out the company as understudies are Kyle Birch, Rebecca Bernice Amissah, Momar Diagne, and Jean-Luke Worrell.
Read the reviews here.
The Independent (Isobel Lewis)
London Theatre (Marianka Swain)
The Reviews Hub (Christine Stanton)
The Telegraph (Claire Allfree)
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Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
Stephen Brackett returns to recreate his Tony-nominated direction, reuniting his Broadway creative team, including choreographer Raja Feather Kelly, music supervisor Rona Siddiqui, orchestrator Charlie Rosen, scenic designer Arnulfo Maldonado, costume designer Montana Levi Blanco, lighting designer Jen Schriever, and sound designer Drew Levy.
The musical centers on Usher, a young, Black, gay theatre writer grappling with his toxic inner thoughts while trying to write a musical about a young, Black, gay theatre writer grappling with his toxic inner thought while trying to write a musical about... and on and on.
A Strange Loop finished its Tony-winning Broadway run January 15 at the Lyceum Theatre after opening April 26, 2022. With a book, music, and lyrics by Jackson, the Best Musical winner played 13 previews and 293 performances.
The show was 2022's Tony Award winner for Best Musical and also won a Tony Award for Jackson's book. The 2019 Off-Broadway run led to the work winning the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, only the 10th musical to be awarded the honor and the first to have not played a Broadway run when the honor was bestowed.
Visit StrangeLoopMusical.com.