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Michael R. Jackson enjoys two claims to fame already. The first one is entirely reliant on his name: in case you didn't know yet, he is not the Michael Jackson.
He is, however, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning creator of A Strange Loop, arguably the most well-reviewed Broadway production of the past season.
Jackson hopes to add yet another accolade to his mantle through White Girl in Danger, a new musical set to make its world premiere Off Broadway at Second Stage’s Tony Kiser Theater.
According to The New York Times, "White Girl in Danger imagines a soap opera set in a town called ‘Allwhite,’ with a group of black characters, called ‘Blackgrounds,’ who are featured only in storylines about slavery and policing. One of those characters, Keesha, seeks to break that pattern by seizing a central storyline from a trio of white protagonists, Meagan, Maegan and Megan, but in so doing she also risks running afoul of an Allwhite killer.” Clearly, Jackson hasn’t lost his predilection for all things meta (in case you’ve forgotten, A Strange Loop is about Usher, a Broadway usher writing his own musical. Jackson himself used to be an usher.)
Lileana Blain-Cruz, of The Skin of Our Teeth fame, has been tapped to direct the musical while Raja Feather Kelly, who has also worked on A Strange Loop, will be the choreographer. No word yet on who will be part of the 12-person cast.
The show will take place at 305 West 43rd Street by Eighth Avenue. Previews are scheduled to start on March 15, 2023, with an opening night taking place on April 10. Fair warning: the show will only run for eight weeks, through May 21, so you’re going to want to snag tickets as soon as they’re available.