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鈥淚 was 13 years old, and my mother, grandmother and I took the train from Detroit to 海角社区官网and saw the pre-Broadway 鈥楽how Boat鈥� and the long-running musical 鈥楾he Phantom of the Opera.鈥� 鈥楽how Boat鈥� especially showed me how a musical could explore social issues.鈥�

This month, after flying to Detroit, Jackson and his parents are going to take that same train route. This time, however, they鈥檒l be catching the Canadian premiere of Jackson鈥檚 own 鈥淎 Strange Loop,鈥� his acclaimed 2019 musical that is proving just as groundbreaking in exploring social issues as the Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II classic.

Except “Show Boat” doesn鈥檛 feature songs about Grindr hookups, 鈥渋nner white girls鈥� and the ubiquitousness of Tyler Perry.

Jackson鈥檚 musical is inspired by his experiences as a plus-sized queer Black man looking for love, dealing with feelings of self-doubt and trying to write a musical, all while working as an usher at 鈥淭he Lion King,鈥� a job Jackson himself held for four years.

Ironically, the composer never set out to write a musical. The show鈥檚 genesis was a monologue Jackson wrote two decades ago after he had studied playwriting at New York University.

鈥淚 was trying to make sense of my world at that time as a young Black gay man living in the middle of nowhere in Jamaica, Queens, not sure how I was going to make a living,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I started writing this thinly veiled autobiographical monologue called 鈥榃hy I Can鈥檛 Get Work.鈥欌��

Soon after, while in graduate school to study book- and lyric-writing, he took a class in which writers were challenged to create music and composers encouraged to write lyrics. That got his creative juices flowing and, over the next few years, he worked on songs in private and eventually workshopped the material with various not-for-profit organizations.

When the off-Broadway company Playwrights Horizons asked to do a reading of the show, it happened on the same night that Donald Trump was elected U.S. president for the first time.

鈥淚 think the audience was feeling particularly down that day and you could feel them uplifted by this show,鈥� said Jackson. Eventually, Playwrights Horizons mounted the show and, after that, producers bankrolled a Broadway run, which picked up two Tony Awards, including one for best musical.

Because of the personal nature of the material, and the fact that it was initially developed far from the commercial concerns of Broadway, 鈥淎 Strange Loop鈥� includes frank and uncensored language about race and sexuality.

On the show鈥檚 website 鈥� it鈥檚 a co-production between Soulpepper, the Musical Stage Company, Crow鈥檚 Theatre and TO Live 鈥� is the longest content warning I鈥檝e ever seen.

鈥淚 worked on the show for so long in total obscurity that by the time it was being considered for production, it would have been against the whole point of the show to change all that,鈥� said Jackson. 鈥淭he show is what it is, it features the language of the streets, so you can take it or leave it.鈥�

For outgoing Musical Stage Company artistic director Ray Hogg, who saw that Broadway production and is directing this staging, Jackson鈥檚 distinctive voice and POV is what makes the show so special.

鈥淭he show is really about a young man trying to figure out who he is and whether it鈥檚 OK to be himself,鈥� said Hogg, in a separate interview.

鈥淚t happens to be told through a lens that is different from the one we鈥檙e used to seeing in most shows. We鈥檝e spent decades upholding and celebrating one voice. What’s remarkable about this work is Michael鈥檚 perspective. It’s so simple and yet so revolutionary.鈥�

The cast is headed by the remarkable young actor Malachi McCaskill, who played the main character of Usher on the West Coast leg of the Broadway tour. Also in the cast as Usher鈥檚 various 鈥淭houghts鈥� are a who鈥檚 who of Canadian talent, including Marcus Nance, David Lopez, Amaka Umeh and Matt Nethersole.

鈥淲e鈥檝e all been talking as a company about how we really want the audience to lean in and care about Usher,鈥� said Hogg. 鈥淪ome of the actors have said that they鈥檙e all trying to grapple with what Usher is dealing with. You can be older than 25, 35 or 45 and still wonder if it鈥檚 OK to be yourself. That transcends language.鈥�

As for Jackson, he can鈥檛 wait to see his breakthrough show in a new production, performed by actors who 鈥� apart from McCaskill 鈥� are new to him.

鈥淚 feel the way I did before we opened in London, England,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know how they were going to respond to things. They loved the show but had no idea who Tyler Perry was, which made me laugh. Is Tyler Perry a bigger deal in Canada? I鈥檓 looking forward to finding out.鈥�

鈥淎 Strange Loop鈥� runs until June 1 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts鈥� Baillie Theatre, 50 Tank House Lane. Visit or call 416-866-8666 for tickets and information.