Jagged Little Pill - The Alanis Morissette Musical
After moving to NYC, I started off the new year by seeing JAGGED LITTLE PILL with my roommate, Kenneth Remaklus, on the evening of Saturday, January 4th. The musical is based on an album by the world renowned Alanis Morissette, with orchestrations and arrangements by Tom Kitt. Its book was developed by Diablo Cody, and the cast was lead under the direction of Diane Paulus. The production touches upon a lot of societal issues throughout; the largest being rape and sexual assault, how one deals with the aftermath, and how healing takes time.
Many aspects of this show reminded me of NEXT TO NORMAL, not so much because of the music, but because of how the story was mapped out. The main family involves a mom struggling with mental health, a father who’s always working, a son who can do no wrong, and an angsty teenage daughter who doesn’t understand why her mom acts the way she does. While the musical bounces from one character’s perspective to the next, it mainly focuses on Mary Jane Healy, the mother figure in the production, who’s played by Elizabeth Stanley. As the play goes on, we discover that Mrs. Healy was in a car accident, and that she was given a prescription to help with the pain. However, the physical pain is not the only thing she must endure. As time passes, it’s revealed that Mrs. Healy was raped during high school. She blamed herself for many years and never dealt with it. Later in the show, a girl from her daughter’s school reports being raped and Mary’s son was a witness. Mrs. Healy finds it difficult to cope with the monsters of her past and an addiction forms because of it.
The performances from the actors were strong, and the ensemble dancers showcased incredible movement that included a blend of modern and hip hop dance. The real standout of the show was Lauren Patten as Jo. Her song, “You Oughta Know,” in the middle of Act 2, was by far the most powerful piece in the production and was awarded a standing ovation mid show. With a production like JAGGED LITTLE PILL, it is clear audiences love pop/rock musicals, and with shows like MOULIN ROUGE, MJ THE MUSICAL, and SIX already in performances or coming to Broadway this spring, audiences are sure to be pleased.