as Thought 2, Jaquel Spivey as Usher, L Morgan Lee as Thought 1 and Antwayn Hopper as Thought 6 in 'A Strange Loop.' Marc J. Jason Veasey as Thought 5, James Jackson Jr. The musical explores sexuality, religion, coming out and the stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS. Usher - whose actual job is ushering for 'The Lion King' - is also grappling with an inner dialogue that is narrated by six characters known as Thoughts. The story follows Usher (played by Tony-nominated lead actor Jaquel Spivey), who is a Black queer man writing a play about a Black queer man. The critically acclaimed musical has been nominated for 11 Tonys. “Taking your time to make something good is worth it, and I feel that we’re seeing the fruits of our labor, my team and I,” he said.
