“A Strange Loop” just won Best Musical at the Tony Awards. Read TimTeeman’s interview with creator Michael R. Jackson
, Alicia Silverstone, and Lawrence O’Donnell. When we met one recent afternoon in the musical’s final week at the off-Broadway Playwrights Horizons, Jackson was anticipating the rumored presence of Wendy Williams.
His parents do not accept his homosexuality. He does not want to write the musical that Broadway and off-Broadway producers want him to write. He is having bad sex for bad reasons, objectifying white men as they objectify him. He is haunted by demons that tell him he is worthless. Usher’s experience and life are harsh, and his tendency to self-denigrate is painful to watch.
Jackson emphasized he is not the Usher we see on stage, at least not now. “This piece has always been about a young twentysomething black gay man trying to understand himself, and so to the extent to which it drew on my own experience, this was me at 21, 25, 27, 29. It got to a certain point where I was far enough away from the misery of that time that I could have a perspective on what my experience was, and what the young, black, gay protagonist was actually dealing with.
Jackson said he wanted to examine with care the complexity and ambiguity of black life; the mother’s journey in the play is not to a cookie-cutter “I love you, my gay son” ending, but one that recognizes an ongoing struggle, with love and acceptance at its base. Jackson is mistrustful of the neat bow put on LGBT and black narratives.Jackson grew up in Detroit. His father was a police officer for 27 years who later became a security consultant at General Motors.
He came out to his parents at 17. “It was horrible. My dad confronted me over a conversation he had overheard between me and another guy. My mother came home, and it turned into a big, emotional, intense confrontation about me being gay.” Things didn’t improve when Jackson went to college in New York. He didn’t date anyone because of the shame around his sexuality. The city and its gay environs like Hell’s Kitchen “felt like it was run by white gay men,” which made him feel more shame. At home, his parents didn’t like him being gay.
“That was very disorienting in a lot of ways. It wasn’t a weird come-on. He was really trying to paint homosexuality as illogical. It came from a place of fear. Now he and I are in a good place.” Jackson talks to his mother more; his father communicates things to her to convey to him. The show allowed both of them the opportunity to see what parts of Jackson’s life had been like.
It was great to be liberated to write full time, and a bummer to realize he had to pay taxes on his prize money, Jackson said. “I had to say it out loud. I feel that because of the anti-blackness in our world, the ideal of two black men being together seems limiting, strange, or outright disgusting to some people. Some black gay men believe that and gravitate to interracial relationships to show they have achieved some social status. White partners are trophies to them. I think that can be OK, but I get bothered when it’s put under the rubric of ‘Love is Love.’ That feels like false neo-liberalism to me.
Brasil Últimas Notícias, Brasil Manchetes
Similar News:Você também pode ler notícias semelhantes a esta que coletamos de outras fontes de notícias.
How Michael R. Jackson’s big, Black queer show 'A Strange Loop' is transforming Broadway“Strange loops are sort of about self-reference and paradox — starting in one place and ending up right back where you started, even though you think you’ve gone the distance,” Jackson told TODAY.
Consulte Mais informação »
From ‘A Strange Loop’ Sweep to an ‘MJ’ Upset: Who Will Win the 2022 Tony Awards?The pool of people who vote for the Tony Awards is a small one — and this year, it’s probably even smaller. As Broadway gears up for its big night June 12, the industry’s annual p…
Consulte Mais informação »
‘A Strange Loop’ Triumphs, Uncompromisingly, on BroadwayThe brilliant, Pulitzer-winning musical is about big themes like racism and sexuality, and about not belonging—yet always searching, inquiring, and confronting.
Consulte Mais informação »
Tony Awards 2022: The Complete Winners List'A Strange Loop,' 'The Music Man' and 'Company' are all vying for major awards on Broadway's biggest night.
Consulte Mais informação »
'A Strange Loop,' with 11 Tony nominations, has captured Black queer hearts across the countryThe musical, 'A Strange Loop,' has been nominated for 11 Tonys. The musical explores sexuality, religion, coming out and the stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS. - NBCBLK
Consulte Mais informação »
Large Study Found a Strange Link Between Eating Fish And Skin CancerMore than 3 billion people around the world rely on fish for food. Fish are a favored source of proteins and healthy fats in highly recommended diets, like Mediterranean and Nordic.
Consulte Mais informação »