#1
Posted: 6/28/18 at 11:10am
So the one thing you’ll know for sure after seeing the new musical JAGGED LITTLE PILL is that you aren’t woke enough. And for more than two and a half hours you’ll be reminded of that over and over, even literally protested at in your own seat because the creators aren’t sure that you understand just how un-woke you are (I think they’ve just underestimated about 90 % of their audience and we aren’t even half way through act one).
The musical, based on Atlantis Morissette’s landmark album from the 1990s tries too hard to trigger (for lack of a better word) emotions and feeling about some really important and relevant topics. And unfortunately, the affect shames you into thinking you are a problem if you don’t understand where these characters come from instead of actually following them honestly and learning from their triumphs and failures. Along with Oscar winning screen writer diablo Cody (book writer), the show is tackling topics like #metoo, the acceptance of trans people, the opioid crisis, white male privilege. I don’t believe there are enough quality dramatizations on any of these subjects so I have to give them a lot of credit for trying. They just haven’t quite figured out how to do it most effectively yet. I think this has to do with the fact that they aren’t sure what story they are trying to tell yet and to complicate matters, there are A LOT of them here. Diablo at the very least remembers that we need humor mixed in for levity.
You have MJ, the portrait of a perfect upper middle class mother, she just happens to be addicted to opiates because of a car crash the previous year. The pressures of life get her deeper and deeper into addiction. This is where the jukebox musical format fails them. Instead of a really character centric song about why her life has spun of of control we get morissette’s forgiven which doesn’t really answer the question. Because of that you have a hard time understanding how this mother could get herself Into an addiction like this. It doesn’t help that the talented singer Elizabeth Stanley is miscast in the role.
Then there’s the workohlic dad, steve who is now addicted to internet porn because mj hasn’t wanted to have sex with him in over a year. This plot never really gets fully fleshed out. It’s unclear throughout why their marriage has gotten to this point. Musical Therapy sessions seem extremely trite.
Their son, Nick ( the handsome Derek Klena) is the perfect son who makes the worst decision of his life....watching a friend rape a high school classmate and not stopping it. Also a very side storyline so if feels shoehorned in. His character is very poorly written and dereks talent is wasted for most of the show.
Frankie, their adopted black daughter growing up too fast dealing with her guilt of feeling too white and not knowing her black roots, dating her best friend jo a trans boy, and the feelings she has for a new boy in school all while having a political side that scares her parents. She supposed to be 15 btw....Celia gooding is a name to watch out for.
Then we have Jo short for Joanne a show stealing Lauren Patton ( if they get this right on bway this is a tony award winning role) a trans teen coming into his own, dealing with heartbreak that partly has to do with the fact that he isn’t a biological boy.
Not too mention Bella a gossiped about girl who gets raped at a high school party, andrew the unassuming band geek who rapes her, and Phoenix, the new kid who likes Frankie’s poem in school. They immediately have chemistry and start a lustful relationship. He has a sister who has health issues that family is needed for around the clock (very underdeveloped storyline)
....are you following all this?? MJ should be the lead here but with all these other arcs its so tough to follow her fully. Of course there are the similarities to next to normal, but the shows are not at all the same.
The set has a rock concert conceit that has the band sliding out from the right and west upstage wings at key moments. Angular panned controlled by score form
About every scene in the show. They can be projected on. The effect is minimal but cool...the projections should all e scrapped they look very cheap and are too literal.
The music style and open raw quality of the lyrics fit the story more than most jukebox musicals, but all I kept wanting is an original score dealing with the complicated topics. Tom Kitts arrangements are Ear Candy, equal parts pop rock and gorgeous musical theater chorus. You cannot deny the addictive quality of morissettes melodies. Musically it works well, this is what could make it a hit.
Dianne Paulus often time gets a bad rap on these chat boards. I happen to think she is a true theater talent with great vision. She has a lot of great ideas here she just hasn’t brought them all together yet. A song called Smiling where the whole number’s action happens in reverse to the moment MJ decides to buy opiates from a street dealer. Predator a number where a rape victim leaves her body and watches herself get raped. And Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s incredibly moving choreography. A couch dance that shows MJ overdosing is wonderful use of contemporary style. The chorus is also very strong.
If they can find out what story they want to tell and do it in a way that doesn’t judge the audience, they may have something here. For all it’s new musical faults, and what new musical doesn’t have them it’s entertaining and fascination.
The musical, based on Atlantis Morissette’s landmark album from the 1990s tries too hard to trigger (for lack of a better word) emotions and feeling about some really important and relevant topics. And unfortunately, the affect shames you into thinking you are a problem if you don’t understand where these characters come from instead of actually following them honestly and learning from their triumphs and failures. Along with Oscar winning screen writer diablo Cody (book writer), the show is tackling topics like #metoo, the acceptance of trans people, the opioid crisis, white male privilege. I don’t believe there are enough quality dramatizations on any of these subjects so I have to give them a lot of credit for trying. They just haven’t quite figured out how to do it most effectively yet. I think this has to do with the fact that they aren’t sure what story they are trying to tell yet and to complicate matters, there are A LOT of them here. Diablo at the very least remembers that we need humor mixed in for levity.
You have MJ, the portrait of a perfect upper middle class mother, she just happens to be addicted to opiates because of a car crash the previous year. The pressures of life get her deeper and deeper into addiction. This is where the jukebox musical format fails them. Instead of a really character centric song about why her life has spun of of control we get morissette’s forgiven which doesn’t really answer the question. Because of that you have a hard time understanding how this mother could get herself Into an addiction like this. It doesn’t help that the talented singer Elizabeth Stanley is miscast in the role.
Then there’s the workohlic dad, steve who is now addicted to internet porn because mj hasn’t wanted to have sex with him in over a year. This plot never really gets fully fleshed out. It’s unclear throughout why their marriage has gotten to this point. Musical Therapy sessions seem extremely trite.
Their son, Nick ( the handsome Derek Klena) is the perfect son who makes the worst decision of his life....watching a friend rape a high school classmate and not stopping it. Also a very side storyline so if feels shoehorned in. His character is very poorly written and dereks talent is wasted for most of the show.
Frankie, their adopted black daughter growing up too fast dealing with her guilt of feeling too white and not knowing her black roots, dating her best friend jo a trans boy, and the feelings she has for a new boy in school all while having a political side that scares her parents. She supposed to be 15 btw....Celia gooding is a name to watch out for.
Then we have Jo short for Joanne a show stealing Lauren Patton ( if they get this right on bway this is a tony award winning role) a trans teen coming into his own, dealing with heartbreak that partly has to do with the fact that he isn’t a biological boy.
Not too mention Bella a gossiped about girl who gets raped at a high school party, andrew the unassuming band geek who rapes her, and Phoenix, the new kid who likes Frankie’s poem in school. They immediately have chemistry and start a lustful relationship. He has a sister who has health issues that family is needed for around the clock (very underdeveloped storyline)
....are you following all this?? MJ should be the lead here but with all these other arcs its so tough to follow her fully. Of course there are the similarities to next to normal, but the shows are not at all the same.
The set has a rock concert conceit that has the band sliding out from the right and west upstage wings at key moments. Angular panned controlled by score form
About every scene in the show. They can be projected on. The effect is minimal but cool...the projections should all e scrapped they look very cheap and are too literal.
The music style and open raw quality of the lyrics fit the story more than most jukebox musicals, but all I kept wanting is an original score dealing with the complicated topics. Tom Kitts arrangements are Ear Candy, equal parts pop rock and gorgeous musical theater chorus. You cannot deny the addictive quality of morissettes melodies. Musically it works well, this is what could make it a hit.
Dianne Paulus often time gets a bad rap on these chat boards. I happen to think she is a true theater talent with great vision. She has a lot of great ideas here she just hasn’t brought them all together yet. A song called Smiling where the whole number’s action happens in reverse to the moment MJ decides to buy opiates from a street dealer. Predator a number where a rape victim leaves her body and watches herself get raped. And Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s incredibly moving choreography. A couch dance that shows MJ overdosing is wonderful use of contemporary style. The chorus is also very strong.
If they can find out what story they want to tell and do it in a way that doesn’t judge the audience, they may have something here. For all it’s new musical faults, and what new musical doesn’t have them it’s entertaining and fascination.
