Richmond Triangle Players and Firehouse Theatre stage “A Strange Loop,” a Pulitzer and Tony-winning show about Black queerhood, family and finding your “inner white girl.”

Katrinah Carol Lewis acknowledges that conversation can get a bit circular when discussing her new show.

“‘A Strange Loop’ is a musical about a Black gay man writing a musical about a Black gay man writing a musical about a Black gay man,” says Lewis, who directs the production opening this week at Richmond Triangle Players in partnership with Firehouse Theatre.

Penned by composer, playwright and lyricist Michael R. Jackson, “A Strange Loop” concerns Usher, a 25-year-old aspiring musical theater writer looking for love and acceptance. Fittingly, Usher pays his bills by working as an usher for the Broadway production of “The Lion King.”

“More than anything, he wants to keep integrity in his art in the Richmond production. and wants people to understand him,” says Marcus Antonio of Usher, the character he plays in the Richmond production. “[The show] delves into a whole bunch of different topics — religion, family, art, queerness and Blackness.”

In this irreverent meta-musical, Usher’s intrusive thoughts are portrayed by six different actors. Along the way, he attempts to find romance, contends with homophobic family members and — even though he despises Tyler Perry — ends up writing a gospel play for the entertainment mogul. Perry isn’t the only cultural sacred cow that gets tipped during the show. Usher gets blocked on dating apps for disliking Beyoncé; he longs to find his “inner white girl” who gets to be “cool, tall, vulnerable and luscious” and can do anything she wants (the show contains many Liz Phair references). 

The musical won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2020 and the Tony Award for best musical in 2022. Antonio saw the show during its Broadway run and was immediately smitten.

“It’s unlike anything that I’d ever seen, and it pulls from so many different inspirations. It hits very close to home for Black people and Black queer people in such a real way. It really throws you off balance when you’re watching it, which is intentional. It really makes you think.”

Among other topics, the musical explores how racial dynamics manifest and what it’s like to not be accepted by family members because of your sexuality.

“It chokes me up every time,” says Lewis of watching Usher try to engage with his family in the show. “The play asks you to look at things that are difficult and find compassion for Usher, who’s trying to figure it out. He says many times in the play that he is trying to write about what life feels like for him. He’s trying to write this piece of art in a way that will help people understand what he has going on in his mind.”

Lewis lauds Jackson’s eclectic score.

“I’ve been living with this piece for many years now and it still surprises me the references and the different numbers that Michael R. Jackson covers in this piece,” Lewis says. “It’s got songs that feel like Tori Amos or Liz Phair, then you’ve got a big Broadway number, then you’ve got something that feels like the Clark Sisters, big gospel numbers. We’ve got Broadway, we’ve got pop, we’ve got R&B, we’ve got gospel — and it all works together seamlessly.”

Noting the musical’s drastic shifts in tone, Lewis praises her cast’s acting chops.

“It requires quite a range from the actors,” she says. “They need to be big and broad and off the chain at some portions of the play, and they really need to be able to pull it back. It needs to feel authentic and super real and poignant and tender. This group of people understands the assignment.”

Antonio says the show isn’t like anything audiences have seen before.

“It’s not your standard musical,” he says.

This story originally appeared on styleweekly.com.

“A Strange Loop” continues through Aug. 9 at the Robert B. Moss Theatre, 1300 Altamont Ave. For more information, visit rtriangle.org