The Pulitzer Prize- and two-time Tony Award-winning musical “A Strange Loop” is starting its Boston run this Friday (April 26) with a cast that includes Dorchester actor Kai Clifton in the lead role of “Usher.” The character is described as “a young artist grappling with desires, identity, and instincts he loves and loathes in equal measure” while dealing with “a grinding job guiding families in and out of theater performances.”

The musical runs through May 25 at the Calderwood Pavilion at 527 Tremont St.

The show focuses on “the Black queer writer’s inner thoughts [turning] to an artistic endeavor: writing a musical about a Black, queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer.” Most of the show involves Usher wrestling with his thoughts, which are portrayed by other cast members: Grant Evan, De’Lon Grant, Jonathan Melo, Zion Middleton, Davron S. Monroe and Aaron Michael Ray.

The production is directed by Maurice Emmanuel Parent, the co-producing artistic director for the Front Porch Arts Collective.
The New York Times described it recently as “a show that allows a Black gay man to be vulnerable onstage without dismissing or fetishizing his trauma, desires and creative ambitions.”

Tickets start at $25, and there are discounts for students, seniors, veterans, and people under 35. It runs for an hour and 40 minutes with no intermission. More information is at bostontheatrescene.com.