Michael R. Jackson

Art Works Podcast

We’re kicking off Pride Month by revisiting my interview with playwright, composer, lyricist Michael R. Jackson. A Strange Loop, his play about a Black queer musical theater writer, has wowed audiences and critics, capturing some of 2020's most prestigious awards, including the Lambda Literary Award for Drama, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A Strange Loop is the first musical to win a Pulitzer for drama without a Broadway run, and Michael R. Jackson is the first Black artist to win a Pulitzer for a musical. (The NEA funded the world premiere, which was produced by Playwrights Horizons.) The show is bawdy, joyous, disturbing, funny, and heartbreaking. The songs are often bouncy tunes that stay in your head while the lyrics can tear at your heart. Jackson has said he never thought the play would ever be produced, so he just wrote what he wanted. (There's a lesson here.) And his mission statement is "to make works that are as challenging as they are entertaining." He succeeded. It was a pleasure to revisit this musical podcast: Jackson is smart, funny, and extraordinarily engaging. And I’ve been singing his fabulous music to myself all week. You will too!