I'm Jonathan K. Parton, welcome to K-Part, a strange loop by Michael R. Jackson builds

itself as a big black and queer-ass American musical.

It's big all right.

Not only did the critically acclaimed play win the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2020, but

the show about a black gay man dreaming of writing a musical only to be hounded by his

own thoughts was also nominated for 11 Tony Awards, the most on Broadway this season.

And at the ceremony on June 12, Michael R. Jackson and his work won big.

He took home the Tony for best book of a musical and a strange loop won the Tony for best musical.

In this conversation, first recorded on June 9, just days before the Tonys for Washington

Post Live, I asked Michael R. Jackson how all the raves and the nominations felt.

It feels really good and it feels good because it seems like a validation of all the time

that was put into making it.

I started this piece right before America went to War with Iraq.

I went through two Obama terms, the beginning of the Trump term, like so much has happened

and I kept writing this piece.

This piece is called A Strange Loop, now the Tony award winning musical by its Tony award

winning writer Michael R. Jackson.

Michael R. Jackson, welcome to K-Parta and Washington Post Live.

Hi, Jonathan, it's so nice to be with you.

Nice to see you, so let's jump right on into this.

The protagonist of A Strange Loop is a theater usher named Usher and here's how variety

describes him and by extension the play.

...