"[1] Though Bankhead's outsized personality dominates the play, the sub-story involves her battle of wills with a film editor named Danny Miller, who has been selected to work that particular sound editing session.

The first performance of Looped was as a January 8, 2007 New World Stages reading, with Elizabeth Ashley as Tallulah Bankhead and Neal Huff as Danny Miller.

"[5] With Harper reprising her role, the rewritten Looped would play 2009 engagements at the Cuillo Centre for the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida, and at the Arena Stage of the Lincoln Theater (Washington D.C.).

[6][7][8] It was announced in December 2009 that Harper would be reprising her starring role in Looped in a Broadway production of the play which,[9][10] as scheduled, began preview performances at the Lyceum Theatre on February 19, 2010, to officially open on March 14, 2010.

[12] Looped would prove a Broadway flop, closing after 33 performances and 27 previews on April 11, 2010,[13] the play unable to survive for the remaining three weeks until the announcement of the Tony Award nominations.

Harper received a Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play and was considered a deserving contender in a strong field, although Viola Davis (Fences) was favored to win (and did).