The loud guffaws come despite, or maybe because of, the racial and sexual epithets flying around the stage. Many of them are aimed by Usher at himself. The song \u201cToday\u201d opens with the announcement, \u201cIt\u2019s your daily self loathing!\u201d<\/p>\n
Related:Meet the man behind the Marvel Universe. It\u2019s not Stan Lee <\/a><\/p>\n News Roundups<\/p>\n Later, his family joins the chorus, often in painful voicemails, and Usher shouts explicit references to sexual acts in the most vernacular language available.<\/p>\n Like his character, Jackson was an usher for the Broadway run of The Lion King for years. The show opens at an intermission as the other characters, Usher\u2019s \u201cThoughts\u201d numbered 1-6, intrude. They also play his equally tortuous parents and siblings.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a show for families or people with tender sensibilities. But that\u2019s also responsible for some of its genius: Jackson through Usher doesn\u2019t let anyone, including himself, off the hook.<\/p>\n Outside of Usher, Tyler Perry takes the most licks. Amid repeated skewering of the highly successful film, TV and theater producer, Jackson stages a mock Perry play with all of its attendant religious and familial cliches after Usher is hired by him to write a script.<\/p>\n Ironically, the rawness of the feelings expressed are matched by catchy tune after catchy tune. Jackson knows how to write hooks, one of his main inspirations being the iconic 1990s singer-songwriter Liz Phair and her celebrated debut album Exile in Guyville.<\/p>\n Early versions of A Strange Loop, which took 18 years to get from conception to off-Broadway, reportedly featured Phair numbers. Some of the funniest yet touching by Jackson include \u201cInner White Girl\u201d and \u201cExile in Gayville.\u201d<\/p>\n Kiba Walker does a phenomenal job playing a potentially unlikeable character. Walker\u2019s singing is both beautifully emotional and down-to-earth. The Thoughts \u2014 Kris Black Jasper, Darius-Anthony Robinson, Landon Blanton, J. Dontray Davis, Quintin Jones Jr. and Logan Rhys \u2014 are game for whatever tormenting Jackson needs them to do.<\/p>\n The director, Vickie Washington, who helmed another difficult Black play, What To Send Up When It Goes Down, at Stage West in 2022, successfully navigates the fury of A Strange Loop as it morphs from a relentlessly dark comedy into a moving drama about the price you pay to overcome the obstacles that society and one\u2019s own inner demons place in your way.<\/p>\n Details<\/b><\/p>\n Through July 12 at 230 W. Fourth St., Fort Worth. $40-$45. circletheatre.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AT64KP5FQNASBP44NQXA6JI4UY.jpg\")
The supporting cast in Circle Theatre’s production of “A Strange Loop” portray the main character Usher’s tormenting thoughts.(TayStan Photography)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/O3OBKLPSXBFZTFRVCHPFMOW4CE.jpg\")
A scene in Circle Theatre’s production of “A Strange Loop” parodies the religious and familial cliches in the work of Tyler Perry.(TayStan Photography)<\/p>\n