“Jagged Little Pill”, which is at Proctors in Schenectady until Sunday, is a juke box musical that really isn’t a juke box musical. Its musical source is the 1995 Alanis Morissette album of the same name. However, the book by Diablo Cody (who is best known for the film “Juno”) elevates the musical to social drama.
Whatever it is, it’s fascinating and fearless. The music is lovely, penetrating and brash, yet it is still melodic. Some numbers – like “Isn’t It Ironic?”, “That I Would Be Good” and the first act finale “Forgiven” are punctuation marks that enrich a scene. However, there are a few numbers that are unnecessarily loud and seem included for those who come expecting to see a rock concert.
“Jagged Little Pill” takes place over the course of a year – from Christmas to Christmas. The mother of a comfortable, privileged family is writing her annual Christmas letter describing the perfection of her family. The show reveals the despair that lies beneath the strain of faking a perfect life.
The show ends with the next Christmas note revealing the truth of their family life. Indeed, the book end Christmas notes are what makes the two and one half hours of angst worthwhile. It is not the pain of bad choices that you carry out of the theater, it’s the redemption and self-awareness that each character has gained in order to be a better person.
It could be argued that the work is too ambitious. It addresses serious themes such as drug abuse and sexual assault, as well as a laundry list of other issues. Though each problem is presented with emotional clarity, the amount of dysfunction in the family makes it difficult to sustain the same level of empathy for each new crisis. Fortunately, the blending of sensitive music, poetic lyrics and excellent performances finds a tender beauty in individuals trying to overcome their problems. “Jagged Little Pill” is, ultimately, about hope and redemption, not about dysfunction and alienation.
Mary Jean Healy, (M.J.) is the mother of the family. Months after an automobile accident she’s addicted to opioids. She also has problems in her marriage. Her husband’s a successful workaholic who is addicted to porn. Their adopted daughter, Frankie, is undergoing gender identity issues that compound her resentment about being a black woman raised in a white society. Their perfect son Nick, who has just been accepted at Harvard, has secrets of his own.
Played by Heidi Blickenstaff, MJ is a controlling, passive-aggressive mom who is destroying her marriage and her family. Oddly, in Blickenstaff’s hands she becomes one of the characters about whom we care the most. She is as good a singer as she is actress and her battle with her demons bring a focus to the show.
The entire cast is great. Chris Hoch is a calm presence as the husband whose life is becoming out-of-control. Dillon Klena is a vulnerable Nick, and understudy Jordon Leigh McCaskill keeps Frankie’s cause-fighting spirit in balance with her insecure sexual searching. As an important non-family member, Allison Sheppard is humanly brittle as the assault victim, Bella.
Each character has a spotlight moment with a song - which they nail. But the single highlight of the night is “You Oughta Know” sung by Jo, Frankie’s girlfriend. Sung by Jade McLeod, it stops the show.
Indeed, the entire ensemble is fantastic. They are exciting as a unit and most get a chance to play an incidental character, and each adds to the honesty of the show.
But the show succeeds because of Diane Paulus’ direction. Morissette and her co-composer Glen Ballard, write songs that do not tell a story as much as they set an emotional mood. This is not a score in which you applaud after every song. Yet, like magic, every song unites to tell a story.
Book writer Cody adds to that and Paulus’ brilliant stagecraft brings it to visual life. There are several scenes in which unobtrusive changes offer a different perspective on the action. In a work about changing perception this is an added bonus.
The musical is played on a constantly changing set designed by Riccardo Hernandez and made even better by the dramatic lighting of Justin Townsend. The concept of having the band above the performing space is also wise.
“Jagged Little Pill” is a visual and musical feast that is always in support of the story. And the story is worth the support.
It continues at Proctors through Sunday. They suggest that the work is not appropriate for those 14 and under. But, everyone else should try to see it. Tickets and schedule can be had at 518-346-6204 or at proctors.org
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
