General Information:
Production — North American Tour
Cast — Heidi Blickenstaff (MJ Healy), Chris Hoch (Steve Healy), Lauren Chanel (Frankie Healy), Dillon Klena (Nick Healy), Jade McLeod (Jo Taylor), Allison Sheppard (Bella Fox), and Rishi Golani (Phoenix)
Venue — Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston, MA
Synopsis — With songs from Alanis Morissette’s album of the same name, “Jagged Little Pill” tells the story of the Healy family, who seems perfect on the outside but their lives are shaken up and their hidden truths are revealed to the world.
Review:
As a little post-school year treat to myself, I got tickets to the latest show in the Broadway in Boston series “Jagged Little Pill”. Ever since seeing “Beetlejuice” at the same venue a month earlier, I have been inspired to see live theater shows again. A fan of musical theater, it was a good feeling heading back to the place that I spent my young years in. There are so many great shows all around the country, so do not think that you have to be in New York City to see great musical theater.
“Jagged Little Pill” is a jukebox musical, where all of the songs are from the Alanis Morissette album of the same name. Jukebox musicals can either be fan favorites or a theater goer’s worst nightmare. Because the music and lyrics are already written, the playwriter (Diablo Cody) has to form a story around the songs themselves instead of creating songs alongside the story that is being written. Depending on the story you are trying to tell, this can either work easily for you or against you. “Jagged Little Pill” I think is the perfect example of a mix of good and bad choices. The story itself I think is wonderful; it tells of a family who wants to present well to those around them but are suffering on the inside, going against their “perfect” image. There are a lot of present day messages that are told so a general audience can listen and understand them. However, at certain points it seemed like the creatives wanted to plug a song in just to hit a certain number in their production. The story felt interrupted when these songs would come up and I think the show would have flowed a little bit better with the omission of a few songs. This musical also made me realize how many of Morissette’s songs I was familiar with and how empowering they can be when put with modern situations like the musical does.
Everyone in the cast was so enjoyable to watch. You could tell this was not Heidi Blickenstaff’s first go at the tole of MJ, as she is the heart and soul of the production. Lauren Chanel as her adopted daughter, Frankie, is another performance that stuck with me until way after the show. But the absolute standout that deserved all of the cheering and applause they got at my show was Jade McLeod as Jo. Best friend and girlfriend of Frankie, McLeod brings the humor the show asks for but their vocals are phenomenal. Their rendition of “You Outta Know” is a showstopper and can only be performed and executed by someone with vocal chops like McLeod. They are the reason why you should see this musical, along with the great performances by their fellow castmates.
The sets are what I expect modern Broadway to be transitioning to. There were neon lights and moving screens to represent where each of the scenes were taking place. It was something I had not seen done on stage before, but it was interesting to use as it matched the present day tone of the show. There were also a lot of furniture and bigger pieces — like school desks and swing sets — that were on wheels, making for fun watching musical numbers. Simple sets compared to “Beetlejuice”, but perfect for this type of show.
If this tour makes it to a city near you, I highly recommend checking it out. With its standout cast to familiar musical numbers, it is made to be enjoyed by any type of theater goer, no matter if this is your first show or your tenth.
