Years before its 2019 off-Broadway run at Playwrights Horizons, Jackson first performed an incarnation of the piece in 2006 - a monologue called "Why I Can't Get Work," which gestated during his time at NYU in the early to mid-2000s. Co-producer RuPaul won his first Tony as well, while cast members Jaquel Spivey (Usher) and L Morgan Lee (Thought 1, Usher's mother) received nominations. As a recipient of the Best Musical award, co-producer Jennifer Hudson achieved the coveted EGOT dream, becoming only the 17th performer, second Black woman, and one of the youngest people ever to do so.
The musical - which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2020 - was nominated for 11 Tony Awards at this year's ceremony. The cast is also entirely made up of queer Black men, another Broadway first. There are lines of raw, unfiltered dialogue that cut deeply into Usher's emotional core. The story integrates real details from Jackson's own life, but does not provide pat answers or saccharine Broadway sentiments. He struggles with his dreams, with dating, and with parents who are supportive of his musical theater aspirations but unaccepting of his queerness. It's a meta-musical in which Usher, an NYU student and usher at "The Lion King," is working out and writing his autobiographical musical as the show is happening. the Thoughts, who personify his doubts, insecurities, and self-loathing. The latter are represented by six other cast members, a.k.a. The musical follows troubled protagonist Usher, a 20-something overweight Black gay man, on his odyssey of embracing his identity and battling his demons. Jackson's dream of delivering a "Big Black Queer Ass American Broadway Show" to the masses is resonating with critics and audiences alike. The awards and accumulating accolades have proven that writer/composer Michael R. Girls comment on the pics and say he's the cutest guy."A Strange Loop" changed history in many ways at this past weekend's Tony Awards ceremony - taking home awards for Best Musical and Best Book Of A Musical. Not only family, friends like it as well.ĭo kids ever stop you and compliment you or say anything to you about your outfits?ĭiefenbach: He gets some weird looks from other older people, but sometimes I get personal messages on Instagram saying that I've got the coolest grandpa in the world and that they love him. My family in Slovenia has seen the pictures on Facebook and Instagram and they like it as well. What does your family think about the way you dress? It’s something different, and with the Boost, he’s older so comfort is more important to him than just how a shoe looks. He might know some of his music, but he doesn’t know it’s Pharrell. Do you know who Pharrell is? Are you a fan of his music?ĭiefenbach: He doesn't know who Pharrell is. Your grandson photographed you in the adidas Pharrell Human Race NMD.
But I know the basics about Supreme-it started as a skate brand and now it’s collaborating with Louis Vuitton. So you’re familiar with Supreme’s and Stüssy’s backstory? I'm on Facebook as well so I see whatever he likes. It started with seeing the clothes on my grandson. How did you get into streetwear brands like Supreme and Stüssy? We spoke to Abram, with help from Diefenbach who translated the conversation for us, about how and why he got into streetwear, what his family thinks of his outfits, and whether or not he’s actually familiar with the backstory of Supreme. He doesn’t mind it though he likes to stand out and be different. His interest in streetwear began about a year ago, though he admits the culture isn’t huge in his neighborhood. But now he does it like it’s his job.”Ībram, a retired gaffer, was born in Slovenia but has lived in Mainz, a small town in Germany about 40 minutes outside of Frankfurt, for the last 49 years. The first ones were kind of awkward to do because he’s never really stood in front of a camera and modeled. “It was my idea to take photos of his outfit,” Diefenbach said, “but surprisingly, he liked it more than I expected. It’s 71-year-old Alojz Abram, who became famous after the photos his grandson, Jannik Diefenbach, took of him wearing Supreme camp caps and Thrasher hoodies went viral this past January. The latest streetwear sensation isn’t another millennial decked out in Supreme.