★★★★☆
A Strange Loop is a musical without a functional elevator pitch. Inspired by Douglas Hofstadter’s cognitive science theory of the same name, Michael R. Jackson’s self-referential tale of a twenty-something black man trying to break into the musical scene sounds less like a Broadway phenomenon and more like a piece of avant-garde New York theatre.
For that reason, A Strange Loop feels like something entirely new to the London theatre scene. With such a convoluted premise and lack of big names to back it up, it’s pretty miraculous that the show ended up on Broadway at all, let alone that it’s seen enough success to transfer across the pond.
The show, then, has a bit of an uphill battle on its hands. Musicals debuting to universal acclaim in New York don’t always transfer well over here, especially when the premise sounds like the height of self-indulgence. It’s appropriately strange, then, that a show which is so visibly working to justify its own existence at every turn pulls it off with aplomb. A Strange Loop, by all rights, shouldn’t work at all. By its end, it’s clear it might just be a work of genius.
credit: Dave Hogan
For a musical without much of a plot beyond ‘character has an existential crisis,’ A Strange Loop demonstrates a remarkable sense of structure. Kyle Ramar Freeman reprises his original Broadway role as the central Usher, and he’s joined by a cast of six ‘Thoughts,’ physical manifestations of the way our protagonist sees the world. Jackson seems fully aware of how ridiculously complex the narrative is – thankfully, that suits the self-reflective-panic-attack of a story perfectly. Though the build up to the big finale doesn’t quite capture the increasingly stressful plate-spinning it maybe should, any cobwebs are blown away by an utterly dazzling conclusion which, without giving anything away, explains just why the show needed its blockbuster theatre budget.
Any accusations of smugness are nullified by a wickedly sharp sense of humour. An early promise that “there will be butt-fucking” gives a pretty good indication of the tone Jackson has gone for. It’s here that the book really leans into its protagonist’s inner monologue, and the unfiltered way dialogue unfolds feels delightfully fresh.
READ MORE: Accidental Death of an Anarchist review | A damningly hilarious Met comedy
But despite a broadly playful tone, A Strange Loop doesn’t shy away from big issues. The third act in particular takes on a defiantly angry, if endearingly messy tone that serves as an effective scream of rage at the world from the perspective of a black, gay man. There’s no sense of preaching here, though – Jackson is far more inclined to wonder at the nature of big questions of race, sexuality and religion rather than find any answers.
A Strange Loop possesses a genius it’s difficult to put into words. Like its elevator pitch, it’s hard to think of the best way to sell a Hofstadter-ish take on existentialism. With a premise which feels entirely pretentious at first, there’s almost no way a show like this should work. It’s greatest selling point, then, is that it just does.
A Strange Loop is playing at the Barbican Centre until 9 September
