After winning Best Musical at the 2022 Tony Awards, people were surprised to hear A Strange Loop will be closing in January. This groundbreaking show created a safe space for everyone who walked in the door, especially Black and queer people. GLAAD’s Anthony Allen Ramos was joined by Bob The Drag Queen to talk about the Big, Black, and Queer Night he’s hosting at A Strange Loop on October 27th.
Bob talks about why the show means so much to him as a Black and queer person. “It tells a shared experience. It’s kind of like someone snuck into your brain, got your thoughts, and put them in a Broadway show. The thoughts you had never said out loud.”
When he saw the show for the first time with drag icon Peppermint, Bob says that “I kept thinking to myself, what if everyone in the room was Black and queer?” He goes on to say, “Some of the stuff is just so specific to being Black and queer… what if everyone in the room was really on that same page.”
And now his dream is becoming a reality. Thursday, October 27th, Bob The Drag Queen is inviting Black and queer people from everywhere to come see A Strange Loop on Broadway followed by a conversation with him and the cast about the impact of the show.
Like so many others, Bob is disappointed that the show’s run is being cut short. “We need to be supporting stories like this. A Strange Loop is closing on Broadway. You can make it there, but what does it take to actually stay there?” He says that “Black queer people and Black people in general, we don’t always have a hard time making a space, but sometimes staying there can be really hard.”
Bob explains that anyone can find meaning in the show. “The empathy, the desire from love from your family, and seeking validation from others is not a specifically Black, queer experience.”
Bob is also excited for the Emmy award winning HBO series We’re Here to be back for a second season on November 25th. “It is some of the most honest TV you’ll find out there… I’m lucky enough to be told by people how much this show has meant to them, how it has helped their family bond during the pandemic, how it helped them come out to their parents, how it helped their parents understand what it’s like to be queer and trans.”
Bob is rooting for his friends Shangela and Wayne Brady on Dancing with the Stars but reveals that the only competition show he wants to be competing in is The Emmys.
Tickets to the Big, Black, and Queer Night on October 27th are available here and the third season of “We’re Here” premieres on November 25. Seasons 1 and 2 are available now on HBO and HBO Max.