Diane and I drove to Shea’s Performing Arts Center to see Jagged Little Pill. I liked the original Alanis Morissette album from 1995. This musical, with additional Morissette music, centers around Mary Jane Healy, an apparently successful Connecticut mother of a son who has just been accepted to Harvard, and a socially-committed adopted daughter, and a workaholic husband. But Mary Jane, after being injured in an automobile accident, has become addicted to opioid painkillers. Things start to spiral out of control.
This touring company included the star of the Broadway production, Heidi Blickenstaff as Mary Jane. Blickenstaff delivers an incredible performance in a role that demands an astonishing vocal range and a wide dramatic range from comedy to despair. Chris Hoch, as Mary Jane’s absentee husband, finally realizes his wife has a problem. Lauren Chanel, as the troubled adopted daughter, shows the vulnerability and confusion of a 16-year-old. Dillon Klena, the Harvard accepted son, finds himself in a disastrous situation. I also liked Jade McLeod as Jo, a lesbian dealing with a religious, unaccepting mother. Great cast!
My only quibble is that Diablo Cody’s book for this musical doesn’t generate many surprises. If you like Alanis Morissette’s emotional songs and moody lyrics, you’ll enjoy Jagged Little Pill: The Musical. GRADE: B+
Cast recording:
At the 2021 Grammy Awards, the cast recording album won Best Musical Theater Album.
In the fall of 2022, Atlantic records released one new, stand-alone track featuring Heidi Blickenstaff and the original Broadway cast singing “Uninvited.”
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Overture” | Ensemble | 1:11 |
| 2. | “Right Through You” | Ensemble | 0:53 |
| 3. | “All I Really Want” | Celia Rose Gooding, Elizabeth Stanley, Sean Allan Krill, Derek Klena, Ensemble | 4:58 |
| 4. | “Hand in My Pocket” | Lauren Patten, Gooding, Ensemble | 3:01 |
| 5. | “Smiling” | Stanley, Ensemble | 4:13 |
| 6. | “Ironic” | Gooding, Antonio Cipriano, Laurel Harris, Kei Tsuruharatani, Ezra Menas, John Cardoza, Ensemble | 3:54 |
| 7. | “So Unsexy” | Krill, Stanley, Ensemble | 2:33 |
| 8. | “Perfect” | Klena, Ensemble | 2:52 |
| 9. | “Lancer’s Party (So Pure)” | Gooding, Kathryn Gallagher, Ensemble | 1:32 |
| 10. | “That I Would Be Good” | Cipriano, Gooding, Patten, Ensemble | 3:36 |
| 11. | “Wake Up” | Gooding, Klena, Logan Hart, Gallagher, Stanley, Ensemble | 4:23 |
| 12. | “Forgiven” | Stanley, Ensemble | 4:53 |
| 13. | “Entr’Acte (Hands Clean)” | Ensemble | 0:56 |
| 14. | “Not The Doctor” | Stanley, Krill, Nora Schell, Ensemble | 1:37 |
| 15. | “Head Over Feet” | Cipriano, Gooding, Krill, Stanley, Patten, Ensemble | 4:09 |
| 16. | “Unprodigal Daughter” | Gooding, Ensemble | 2:54 |
| 17. | “Predator” | Gallagher, Jane Bruce, Ensemble | 4:40 |
| 18. | “You Oughta Know” | Patten, Ensemble | 4:19 |
| 19. | “Uninvited” | Stanley, Gallagher, Ensemble | 3:45 |
| 20. | “Mary Jane” | Krill, Ensemble | 3:42 |
| 21. | “No” | Gallagher, Schell, Bruce, Menas, Max Kumangai, Patten, Gooding, Klena, Ensemble | 3:38 |
| 22. | “Thank U” | Schell, Harris, Menas, Gooding, Ensemble | 1:58 |
| 23. | “You Learn” | Ensemble | 3:53 |
One of my daughters played the album to death when it first came out. Thought it okay but didn’t love it. I probably wouldn`t like this.
Steve, some of the audience members (mostly older folks like me) could be heard complaining about the loudness of the music in JAGGLED LITTLE PILL.
No desire to see this or any other jukebox musical, but I loved, loved, loved Alanis when she appeared nearly 30 years ago.
Michael, Alanis Morisette songs don’t get played very often on our local Oldies radio station. JAGGED LITTLE PILL was one of the best albums of 1995. Hopefully, this jukebox musical will send people back to the original music.
Reminds me of the play/musical NORMAL of a few years ago.
Patti, setting Alanis Morissette’s music in a play about a dysfunctional family works surprisingly well. With the exception of complaints about the loudness of the the music, most of the audience we sat with enjoyed JAGGED LITTLE PILL.
NEXT TO NORMAL.
I hated NEXT TO NORMAL. Critics disagreed but I stand by that.
Pass for me. I’m not a huge fan of Morissette’s music. While I like “One Hand in My Pocket”, I must deduct points for Morissette apparently having no idea as to the actual definition of the word “Ironic”.
Deb, there’s a classroom scene in JAGGED LITTLE PILL where the daughter her recites her “poetry” (actually the lyrics to “Ironic”) and the other students make fun of her because she doesn’t quite grasp the concept of Irony.
TO be honest, I ‘ve never heard Morrisette’s music (to my knowledge) and I wouldn’t know her if I tripped over her in the street,
So, pass.
Jeff, I’d love to trip over Alanis in the street, or anywhere else. Google a picture.
Michael, you’re reminding me of “Hands Clean” with your suggestion to GOOGLE Alanis Morissette’s photo!
I’m with Jeff! Outside of hearing her name a few times she’s an alien presence in my world!