A vital conversation.

Jackson asks Brackett to direct a workshop of A Strange Loop at NYU. Over coffee, Brackett makes an important suggestion: “What if we cast the show with queer Black actors to populate all of the people that surround Usher?” Brackett had been inspired by Morrison singing “Periodically.” “It was very clear that Michael was writing something that was not about a slice of life,” he says. “It was trying to get inside the head of how this protagonist sees himself in the world.” The supporting characters become known as Usher’s Thoughts. Brackett is later nominated for a Tony Award for his direction.