A Strange Loop - Barbican

So once Kyle Ramar Freeman leaves, Kyle Birch will take over as lead Usher and they're bringing over another former Usher from the US as the new alternate.

I have a feeling it might be Christopher Michael Richardson but could be wrong.

Saw Kyle Birch today for the first time, I thought he was brilliant. Delivers a load of the lines different to Kyle Freeman, and is still so easy to be empathetic for.

The thoughts were full cast for the matinee today and honestly they were giving muck up matinee vibes, in a good way. I think they were all pushing he line further and further to see what they could add or change, definitely trying to make each other laugh too.

Second visit tonight and I loved it even more than I did the first time.

My other half LOVED IT as well and can't wait to go again.

10/5

Will be interesting to see the 'other' Kyle next visit.

Well anyway, there’s a completely free of charge ticket worth £48 going spare for Saturday’s matinee. Can email the e-ticket to a good home. Pay it forward.

Alas, we're all human BurlyBeaR. Mistakes happen.

I saw today’s matinee (12th August). Like others on this board, I went because it won the Tony for Best Musical, as well as the Pulitzer, and I like to see interesting musicals that develop the form.

It was certainly that. There is lots to enjoy, and I was never bored. The score is good, with moments of brilliance. The last two numbers were highlights for me in particular. The show itself is quite funny, but also has many profound things to say. It has certainly got me thinking, even a few hours after seeing it. Similar to other shows I have seen recently, it is essentially about a man coming to terms with his trauma, and trying to make sense of this by writing a musical - the trauma of his childhood growing up as gay in a highly religious, conservative family, the trauma of his identity as both a black and gay man not really fitting into any of those norms, and the trauma of coming to terms with himself and who he is. The lighting design is also beautiful throughout. As a piece of art, I really can appreciate it.

However, it just ultimately left me cold. I didn’t feel any emotional connection to it whatsoever. This could be because I am a straight, white, single, 33 year-old male though!

In some ways, I actually thought it did too much explaining to the audience - do we really need to be told at the start that the six other people on stage are the thoughts in Usher’s head, or that a lot of what we are seeing on stage is down to Usher’s own self-loathing when that is already obvious? The themes just seemed a little too explicit. I could be over-analysing this thought.

The vulgarity was also a little too much for me - I’m really not into that sort of thing normally at all, and it was just too in your face for me (which I appreciate is entirely the point)!

Overall, I am glad that I have seen it, and there are many positives, but it is far from a perfect piece of theatre for me.

Excited! I’m going Sept 1!

Visited this evening with virtually no awareness of what the show was before turning up (Theatre Roulette, so I literally didn't book it).

Having gone in cold was an interesting experience. I found myself getting much more into it as the evening progressed. At one point near midway I started mentally comparing the musical to Avenue Q (in that each song seemed to be a stand alone ode to a particular moment in someone's life). The second half lost that and was stronger, felt as it the production found itself. Probably deliberate stylistic shift.

Not sure how award winning this will be here but I'd be shocked if it doesn't win Best Lighting awards.

I'm still trying to process my thoughts. I'm having much the same reaction as I did from Hamilton, recognising it is artistically brilliant but not doing much for me.

Thought provoking, fascinating and will stick in the mind for a long time. Not sure I'd rate it especially highly though.

Will mull my thoughts further...

Yeah, I can understand that for sure. I'll listen to the cast recording at some stage - I imagine I'll appreciate it more from that.

Thanks for the recommendation.

I've been thinking of getting it, but as the videos I have seen of the Broadway lead were...um...meh (I'm being very kind here too) compared to Kyle I was worried it wouldn't measure up.

I will go for the Off-Broadway version x

Thanks for the review of Christopher. I'm seeing the matinee next Thursday so I assume he'll be my Usher. I don't know if other understudies go on for the matinees but I noticed that Jean-Luke Worrell was a cover for some of the Thoughts and I'd love to see him on stage again (he was a brilliant Wadsworth in Cluedo last year).