"Oddly for such a knowing, meta show, it really does fulfil Usher’s desire to show real life – to place you in his lived experience. The experimental zaniness, the candid content, and the taboo busting are all excitingly bold, but it’s that authenticity which ultimately makes the most impact."
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" ‘A Strange Loop’ is different. It is an extremely Black, extremely queer, extremely horny, extremely New York show that is, to boot, extremely weird: a meta-musical about a theatre usher called Usher’s attempt to write a meta-musical about a theatre usher called Usher. "
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"It ends with a non-ending, breaking the rules of storytelling but without any sense of jarring or gimmickry. These circles within circles could just continue, we feel, after the curtain falls. A strange loop indeed."
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“What makes ’A Strange Loop’ so compelling... what cuts under its whirling cleverness, is the way it makes Usher’s suffering so intense.  As it digs, it unlocks true sadness and alienation, so that the relative calm of the ending is almost a relief.  It’s original and old-fashioned all at once.”
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“It’s an impressive, emotionally punchy spectacle. But once I’d rubbed the dazzle from my eyes, I couldn’t help feeling that, for all its self-referential intricacy and Jackson’s obvious, stunning talent, the show needs another level, and a wider context. Usher’s story deserves a second act.”
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"Bold in its approach, it dares to break the mould and create something that may not always be the most comfortable of watches but is always captivating. For me personally, a couple of moments aside, I loved 'A Strange Loop' immeasurably...Whether you love it or hate it, you’re going to remember it – and that in itself makes it a success in my eyes."
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This is a new musical that’s practically perfect, and made even more so by a breathtaking central performance from Kyle Ramar Freeman, who reprises the role from Broadway. Freeman’s tender, soulful, and ultimately powerful portrayal of Usher is the must-see performance of this year.
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"It’s stuffed with really catchy tunes full of triumphant melodies, with big high notes, snatches of literary and musical reference constantly winking at us. It’s messy and exhausting as much as it is spectacular. It’s too long, too repetitious, too much - and I’d watch it again in an instant."
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