Jagged Little Pill: The Musical at Peace Center
Much like the Alanis Morissette album from which it grew, Jagged Little Pill: The Musical is a tough but worthwhile sit that touches on important topics with blistering honesty.
And as with the singer/songwriter’s Grammy-winning, 1995 collection, a wealth of catchy melodies and witty wordplay help the medicine go down in a most(ly) delightful way.
Overcoming a chaotic opening where the Peace Center sound mix and/or the ensemble’s vocal arrangements were off to the point of incomprehension, Jagged Little Pill quickly recovers with its focus on the Healys, a Connecticut family of four with enough issues to make the This Is Us writers room blush.
With so many goosebump-inducing numbers employed to tell their traumatic tale, it’s best not to look at the program and instead be surprised by the moments when they’re creatively woven in by librettist Diablo Cody. The Oscar-winning screenwriter of Juno generally shines at taking the specific brand of suburban angst/comedy that’s defined her best work and blending it with Morissette’s iconic lyrics, particularly when one of the bigger hits is in play.
As Jo, the sorta-girlfriend of the Healys’ Black adopted bisexual daughter Frankie (Maya J. Christian), Jade McLeod has the most Alanis-like voice and turns “One Hand in My Pocket” into a joyful anthem of defiance aimed at those who want to stifle her true self. And standing in for Lauren Chanel on opening night, the charismatic Christian has the honor of taking the lead on “Ironic,” whose fun implementation in a classroom setting includes a clever, self-effacing skewering of the song’s literal accuracy.
Elsewhere, “Head Over Feet” pretty seamlessly moves from MJ (Heidi Blickenstaff) and Steve Healy (Chris Hoch) at marriage counseling to Frankie and her new flame Phoenix (Daniel Thimm) on a playground swing set. And while it’s clear that the fiery “You Oughta Know” will almost certainly be an Act II showstopper, predicting who’ll be shooting the lyrical crossbow into whose heart gradually builds a tantalizing atmosphere of possibilities — a testament to Cody’s writing in that numerous intriguing permutations remain until the familiar opening words are sung.
Morissette’s less popular songs, however, show why they weren’t elevated to music video status and have to rely more on their lyrics than melodies, but mostly get the job done. Bridging the gap is “Smiling,” one of two songs Morissette wrote specifically for the show. Presented in a dizzying bravura sequence where everyone moves in reverse, the number captures the unmoored desperation of MJ’s opioid addiction stemming from pain medication to treat injuries from a car accident.
Memorable as the rewound visuals are, it’s not the only example of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s choreography where character movement conveys a sense of unease that words and lyrics can only grasp at. Reeling from the ripple effects of an alleged rape at a high school party that implicates her Harvard-accepted son Nick (Dillon Klena) and resurrects some unresolved traumas from her own past, MJ — complete with visual aid from a pair of doppelgängers — is ripped in half and violently navigates her living room sofa to the tune of the sinister “Uninvited.” Once more, the show relies on Blickenstaff to carry its emotional load, and she delivers.
These big scenes are enough to get Jagged Little Pill where Cody wants it to go, yet the production occasionally struggles in its transitions between songs, relying on filler in the form of busy dancing and noisy singing. However, such dialogue-free stretches are also the only times when we glimpse the eight-piece backing band, seated in the “attic” of Riccardo Hernández’s simple yet effective set, as their presence would otherwise prove distracting and clash with the show’s overall authentic nature.
Yes, it’s a musical and numerous aspects of real life are exaggerated for theatrical effect, but its blunt explorations of rape culture, addiction, race, sexuality, and mental health ground the material firmly in the present while also providing a painful reminder that such topics have been debated and protested by minorities and their allies for generations.
Trusting their work to Diane Paulus’ efficient direction, the show’s creators are rewarded with moments built into the production for cheers in support of various calls for human rights. While it takes a more participatory build-up and certain type of theatergoer to rise and applaud such prompts as a young Black woman holding a sign that reads “Believe Black Women,” merely presenting that statement and numerous others gives attendees plenty to think about during Jagged Little Pill and in the days and weeks to come.
That it’s all tied up a little too tidily with the fitting finale “You Learn,” finding practically everyone in an unrealistically happy place, is a bit surprising and at odds with the second act’s rawness. However, enough unresolved issues and pains linger for this pill to remain sufficiently jagged.
Jagged Little Pill: The Musical runs through May 28 at the Peace Center. For details and tickets, visit peacecenter.org.
(Photos by Matthew Murphy)
