Not Your Normal Jukebox Musical
January 23, 2022 9:55 AM Subscribe
The best place to start, perhaps is with the Grammy Award-winning Original Cast Album [Grammy.com] for Tony-winning musical Jagged Little Pill [Wikipedia], with music by Alanis Morissette and book by Diablo Cody. Two ways to listen: YouTube Playlist, or (much more fun) a Virtual Album Celebration with the cast [1h16m] as they listen to the album together for the first time ever and record their reactions. Now, let's dig in.
Jagged Little Pill was started as a Broadway project back in the early 2010s, but really got steam in 2017 when it was announced that Diablo Cody was writing the book [Slate]. Directed by Diane Paulus (Waitress, Pippin), it opened in Boston in 2018 [NPR] before transferring to NYC and opening on Dec 5, 2019. Jesse Green at NYT quite liked it. [Archive link]
How about some performance clips? Here's the cast doing You Learn on GMA in Dec 2019 [4m5s]. Here's the music video (!) for Head Over Feet [3m26s].
After Broadway closed in March of 2020, the cast remained active. Early in the pandemic, they did a truncated Thank U for frontline workers [2m], done in now-familiar pandemic-o-vision. (If you can remember that sentiment from early-mid 2020.) Here is the Democracy Remix video for All I Really Want [5m20s]. Likewise, the Hope Over Fear Remix video for All I Really Want [5m] Also, Alanis released one of the original songs written for the show, Smiling, as a single from her latest album (recorded herself after the show opened on Broadway).
Here's a clip of Univited they produced during lockdown. [3m37s, content: dance interpretation of drug overdose]
The show produced Wake Up: Why Responsible Storytelling In Theater Matters, videos exploring how the show approached and dealt with themes from the show, featuring the director, cast members, and specialists. Each is about 20 minutes long: Sexual Assault, Gender Expression And Sexually, Transracial Adoption, Addiction. These are interesting and worthwhile, I felt.
If you really want to dig in deeper with two of the stars, here's A Jagged Little Pill Conversation with Celia Rose Gooding and Lauren Patten [Frankie and Jo, 36m] This is inessential viewing, but I found it interesting as they both originated the roles from the first read-through, and they had things to say about their roles and such. Plus, they are lovely people and once they loosen up, it becomes a real "hanging out with friends" thing with some deep insights. Fun!
Finally in October 2021: Jagged Little Pill Returns to Broadway October 21 [Playbill] Also from October 2021: Jagged Little Pill: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert [18m46s, with new cast members].
Sadly, this did not last long. December 2021: Alanis Morissette’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Broadway musical cancelled due to COVID-19 The show ran for maybe a total of 7 months, and was nominated for 15 Tony Awards, winning two.
So, what was this musical like exactly?. This might be the only record we have of this production. With understudy Ezra Menas in as Jo (replacing Lauren Patten), here is an audience bootleg from Feb 2020 of Jagged Little Pill [2h17m]. The video and audio clarity are excellent, but at times it misses a larger stage picture than one might desire. Really shows the acting, though! Really electrifying! Also, it's fully subtitled in English. [content: sexual assault, opiate addiction]
A couple of items on background that are entirely unessential, but that I found interesting: Interview with Ezra Menas [37m32s], the understudy from the above performance (the tale of an actor making her way in the world), and The Producer's Perspective Podcast with Ken Davenport had an episode The Lead Producer Of Jagged Little Bill, Vivek Tiwary [52m34s], which was generally interesting from hearing a producer talk about their job.
Finally, the show, now closed, seem like it is going to receive a new, unexpected life. Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody Help Adapt ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Musical Into Novel [Rolling Stone, Dec 2021]
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If somehow you've read this far into this post and you really don't know the source material, then here: Jagged Little Pill (Full Album) [57m30s] Bonus reading: You Oughta Know: an oral history of Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill [CBC medium read article], How a Jagged Little Pill Turned into Sweet Success for Alanis Morissette [Discogs blog (who knew Discogs had a blog?)]
Jagged Little Pill was started as a Broadway project back in the early 2010s, but really got steam in 2017 when it was announced that Diablo Cody was writing the book [Slate]. Directed by Diane Paulus (Waitress, Pippin), it opened in Boston in 2018 [NPR] before transferring to NYC and opening on Dec 5, 2019. Jesse Green at NYT quite liked it. [Archive link]
How about some performance clips? Here's the cast doing You Learn on GMA in Dec 2019 [4m5s]. Here's the music video (!) for Head Over Feet [3m26s].
After Broadway closed in March of 2020, the cast remained active. Early in the pandemic, they did a truncated Thank U for frontline workers [2m], done in now-familiar pandemic-o-vision. (If you can remember that sentiment from early-mid 2020.) Here is the Democracy Remix video for All I Really Want [5m20s]. Likewise, the Hope Over Fear Remix video for All I Really Want [5m] Also, Alanis released one of the original songs written for the show, Smiling, as a single from her latest album (recorded herself after the show opened on Broadway).
Here's a clip of Univited they produced during lockdown. [3m37s, content: dance interpretation of drug overdose]
The show produced Wake Up: Why Responsible Storytelling In Theater Matters, videos exploring how the show approached and dealt with themes from the show, featuring the director, cast members, and specialists. Each is about 20 minutes long: Sexual Assault, Gender Expression And Sexually, Transracial Adoption, Addiction. These are interesting and worthwhile, I felt.
If you really want to dig in deeper with two of the stars, here's A Jagged Little Pill Conversation with Celia Rose Gooding and Lauren Patten [Frankie and Jo, 36m] This is inessential viewing, but I found it interesting as they both originated the roles from the first read-through, and they had things to say about their roles and such. Plus, they are lovely people and once they loosen up, it becomes a real "hanging out with friends" thing with some deep insights. Fun!
Finally in October 2021: Jagged Little Pill Returns to Broadway October 21 [Playbill] Also from October 2021: Jagged Little Pill: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert [18m46s, with new cast members].
Sadly, this did not last long. December 2021: Alanis Morissette’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Broadway musical cancelled due to COVID-19 The show ran for maybe a total of 7 months, and was nominated for 15 Tony Awards, winning two.
So, what was this musical like exactly?. This might be the only record we have of this production. With understudy Ezra Menas in as Jo (replacing Lauren Patten), here is an audience bootleg from Feb 2020 of Jagged Little Pill [2h17m]. The video and audio clarity are excellent, but at times it misses a larger stage picture than one might desire. Really shows the acting, though! Really electrifying! Also, it's fully subtitled in English. [content: sexual assault, opiate addiction]
A couple of items on background that are entirely unessential, but that I found interesting: Interview with Ezra Menas [37m32s], the understudy from the above performance (the tale of an actor making her way in the world), and The Producer's Perspective Podcast with Ken Davenport had an episode The Lead Producer Of Jagged Little Bill, Vivek Tiwary [52m34s], which was generally interesting from hearing a producer talk about their job.
Finally, the show, now closed, seem like it is going to receive a new, unexpected life. Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody Help Adapt ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Musical Into Novel [Rolling Stone, Dec 2021]
----------
If somehow you've read this far into this post and you really don't know the source material, then here: Jagged Little Pill (Full Album) [57m30s] Bonus reading: You Oughta Know: an oral history of Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill [CBC medium read article], How a Jagged Little Pill Turned into Sweet Success for Alanis Morissette [Discogs blog (who knew Discogs had a blog?)]
This is a typically lovely hippybear post, but I think we should also acknowledge the trans erasure issues around this show/production: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Broadway’s Jagged Little Journey Toward Nonbinary Inclusion.
posted by HeroZero at 2:05 PM on January 23, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by HeroZero at 2:05 PM on January 23, 2022 [5 favorites]
In early 2020 I was in New York for work. I timed my work trips to New York around a trade show we had every year in Amsterdam; leaving from New York essentially halved my travel time, so I would coordinate to visit customers in New York the week before and then leave from there to the trade show the following week.
The coworker I was traveling with had to leave for home on Thursday evening, leaving me with a night by myself before I headed to Europe the following day. I’m far from a theater guy, but I am absolutely an Alanis guy, so with this show playing barely a mile from my hotel, I figured I’d take advantage of the opportunity. One of the nice things about attending a show like this by yourself is that it leaves a little more room for a splurge. I bought tickets 2nd row center.
The whole experience was phenomenal. Hearing these songs that I had been a fan of for years reimagined for the show was great, but as noted, this was far from a “jukebox” show, it was centered around a strong and powerful story. Hearing Lauren Patten belt out “You Oughtta Know” is an experience I will remember until I die. Celine Rose Gooding oozed star power, seeing her perform gave me that feeling where you are seeing someone right before they become a household name. I also remember being really excited that I recognized one of the Season 1 cast members of You in the show.
posted by The Gooch at 2:37 PM on January 23, 2022 [6 favorites]
The coworker I was traveling with had to leave for home on Thursday evening, leaving me with a night by myself before I headed to Europe the following day. I’m far from a theater guy, but I am absolutely an Alanis guy, so with this show playing barely a mile from my hotel, I figured I’d take advantage of the opportunity. One of the nice things about attending a show like this by yourself is that it leaves a little more room for a splurge. I bought tickets 2nd row center.
The whole experience was phenomenal. Hearing these songs that I had been a fan of for years reimagined for the show was great, but as noted, this was far from a “jukebox” show, it was centered around a strong and powerful story. Hearing Lauren Patten belt out “You Oughtta Know” is an experience I will remember until I die. Celine Rose Gooding oozed star power, seeing her perform gave me that feeling where you are seeing someone right before they become a household name. I also remember being really excited that I recognized one of the Season 1 cast members of You in the show.
posted by The Gooch at 2:37 PM on January 23, 2022 [6 favorites]
I liked this musical, but it was like 15 after school specials rolled into one.
posted by jmauro at 5:10 PM on January 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by jmauro at 5:10 PM on January 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
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