THE HANGOVER REPORT – The stage adaptation of Alanis Morissette’s JAGGED LITTLE PILL is smart and ferocious

Celia Rose Gooding, Derek Klena, Elizabeth Stanley, and Sean Allan Krill in "Jagged Little Pill" at the Broadhurst Theatre. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Celia Rose Gooding, Derek Klena, Elizabeth Stanley, and Sean Allan Krill in “Jagged Little Pill” at the Broadhurst Theatre. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Thus far, it’s been an uncommonly good season for Broadway jukebox musicals. Moulin Rouge reached ecstatic heights I didn’t think possible, while Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is making a bona fide star out of Adrienne Warren. Now we have the black horse of the bunch, the stage adaptation of Alanis Morissette’s angsty, generation-defining Jagged Little Pill (the album was co-written by Glen Ballard), which opened last night at the Broadhurst Theatre. The new musical tells the story of the Healys, a seemingly perfect suburban middle-class family. But given that the underlying material is by Ms. Morissette, you can bet that things don’t stay serene for very long.

In my mind, the show’s secret weapon isn’t Ms. Morissette’s iconic songs but Diablo Cody’s completely original book (she won an Academy Award for penning the screenplay for Juno) — a rarity these days — which bravely conveys the overwhelming anxieties of living in the modern world. Often times the Achilles heel of many a musical, the ambitious if overstuffed book by Ms. Cody is an unexpected revelation. Although she threatens to sink the ship with the ambitiously comprehensive array of social issues on the musical’s agenda to tackle, Ms. Cody somehow manages to skillfully and successfully navigate and balance themes and relationships, while smartly and organically weaving Ms. Morisette’s ferocious songs into her impassioned plot. While some threads veer awfully close to heavy-handedness, none of it ultimately feels awkward nor forced. This, in and of itself, is a triumph.

Tony-winning director Diane Paulus helms the production with a kinetic staging that pays homage to the rock concert aesthetic, as well as Broadway musicals such as Next to Normal, Dear Evan Hansen, and Rent, each of which Jagged Little Pill is undoubtedly inspired by. My only concern is the slight overuse of an overworked dance ensemble, which occasionally seems more of a distraction than a synergistic element (the frenetic choreography is by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui). As for the cast, they’re fabulous, led by a compelling Elizabeth Stanley – boldly playing against type as an opioid-addicted mother of two – in her meatiest role to date (things are looking rather heated for the Tony race for best actress in a musical). Oh, and Lauren Patten’s searing rendition of “You Oughta Know” alone is worth the price of admission.

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JAGGED LITTLE PILL
Broadway, Musical
Broadhurst Theatre
2 hours, 35 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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