Meet the world's most famous theatre usher, Usher
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| By
Kevin Thomas
Ushers are often the unsung heroes of the theatre. They guide you to your seat, ensure you reach your destination, and bid you farewell as you leave. They are like police officers in fabulous red waistcoats, always ready to restore order when things get a little chaotic.
Imagine a world where ushers break into song and dance, pointing you to your chair with a smile and a shimmy. What if we placed an usher in the centre of a play? It's never been done before, until now...
Meet Usher, the usher for The Lion King in the musical A Strange Loop. He's the most exciting usher in the world!
Meet the world's most famous theatre usher, Usher
About Usher
Usher works at a Broadway theatre showing The Lion King, but he is not your typical usher. With a voice that can reach the highest notes, and dance moves that are both energising and freeing, Usher bursts onto the stage in his iconic red uniform with a ferocity that shakes the audience. The character is loosely based on Michael R. Jackson, the creator of A Strange Loop, who was also a former usher at a Broadway theatre.
Usher doesn't sing about The Lion King. Instead, he shares his personal experiences as a black, queer man who struggles to pursue his dreams. With every note, he bares his soul and reveals his desire to write a musical about his own life, but it’s not all tears and sorrow, the songs are often upbeat, deliciously melodic, and twinged with hope.
What sets Usher apart from other ushers (aside from the spontaneous bursting into song) is his unapologetic honesty and vulnerability. Through his songs and monologues, we witness his struggles with self-doubt, anxiety, imposter syndrome, and societal pressures. Despite these challenges, Usher remains fiercely determined to succeed and find his place in the world.
More than anything, he makes us wonder what other ushers are thinking as they watch a show.
About A Strange Loop
A Strange Loop is a Tony-award-winning musical that premiered Off-Broadway in 2019 and has since sold-out Broadway and is heading to the West End (London’s Barbican). Written, composed, and with lyrics by Michael R. Jackson, the show follows the story of Usher, a black, queer, and overweight writer who struggles to achieve success in the entertainment industry.
The musical is a metafictional exploration of Usher's life as he writes a musical about himself. It delves into his personal experiences and struggles as a black artist, his relationships with friends and family, and his insecurities and self-doubt. The show explores themes of race, sexuality, body image, and the challenges faced by artists of colour in America.
What sets A Strange Loop apart is its use of a looping structure to convey Usher's repetitive and cyclical thought patterns. The show features a chorus of six performers who play various roles and provide insight into Usher's innermost thoughts.
The musical has received critical acclaim for its bold and daring approach to storytelling and its honest and unflinching depiction of the black queer experience. It has been described as a powerful and thought-provoking work of art that pushes the boundaries of what musical theatre can be.
A Strange Loop tickets are available now!
Check out the world's most famous usher in the West End production of A Strange Loop at London’s Barbican!