Jagged Little Pill: The Musical?- Page 2

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 2:06pm

There's just so many songs that could work in a musical. Songs like "That Particular Time" for instance, could tell the entire story of two people's relationship.

But like I said before, most of her songs can do that because Alanis is a BRILLIANT storyteller. And that's exactly what you need to tell a story on stage through music.

[finebydesign]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 3:15pm

Oh I love that one.

[Chowd95]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 3:36pm

I remember when "You Oughta Know" came out. I heard it on the radio and wondered who she was, and when they said her name I was blown away cause I was obsessed with "You Can't Do That on Television". Went out and bought the CD, and I probably listened to it every day for months. I hadn't even thought about her for years until last week I randomly stumbled across the full album on youtube. If you haven't listened to it in a while, or ever, do. It is ****ing amazing, holds up so well and every single song is just so great.

Don't know how well this will translate to stage, but if the dude who worked on Next To Normal is behind it I have faith.

[dreaming]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 3:43pm

I must be the only person who thinks this is a rotten idea. (Then again, I'm really not into jukebox musicals.) I hate the angry tone of the album.

Why doesn't Alanis try what Sting and others have done? Write something ORIGINAL.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 3:51pm

So, I guess you didn't read the article.

[finebydesign]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 3:51pm

I don't think it's a tremendously great idea, but that song book is really rich. Whether or not the show is any good doesn't matter that much to me, they're really great songs.

You do raise a good point has she or is she interested in writing for the stage? She's very familiar with the form as she was a huge advocate for Jane Eyre and did the Cole Porter movie.

[dreaming]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 3:54pm

I did read the article. I still think it's an angry, offensive album and do consider it a jukebox musical.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 4:02pm

Offensive? How?

[dreaming]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 4:05pm

I think the songs are bad. That is why they're offensive.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 4:07pm

Her "Perfect" is stunning, especially the acoustic version.
Alanis Morissette: Perfect [acoustic version LIVE]

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 4:12pm

You mean, in your opinion the songs are bad.

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 4:25pm

Just to clarify, my other posts, I don't think it's a bad idea. Just a very tricky one. The problem is that Alanis's biggest hits were off of the "angry" album and were the "angry" songs (but One Hand In My Pocket is a big exception).

Most (not all) of the other songs you've mentioned aren't well known, were not big hits, and regardless of whether or not this is a standard jukebox musical, that's what most audiences will think, especially if you call it Jagged Little Pill, and sell it as Alanis's show.

In other words, producers and marketers will push it and push the well known "angry" songs. Those will be hard to sell theatrically. If a character who hasn't earned the right to rant "goes off" in a musical, you run the risk of losing a lot of your audience, me included. They won't understand why the characters are so pissed and hurt and mad, and it will be a big turn off.

And back to what Jordy was saying, if you throw in some of her lesser known (but equally good) songs, and add some new ones, then audiences will wonder what happened to all the hits. They are going to view this as Morrissette's Mamma Mia! or Jersey Boys anyway, whether they like it or not. And calling it "Jagged Little Pill" sets it up to be just that.

Updated On: 11/8/13 at 04:25 PM

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 4:38pm

My guess is that producers and audiences would look at it more like AMERICAN IDIOT. The retro kitsch factor that exists for both MAMMA MIA and JERSEY BOYS doesn't exist for Morissette's songbook. If I were a bettin' man, I'd wager that every track from Jagged Little Pill will make it into the show and then be supplemented by her other work. And if it works and is successful, maybe it will encourage her to write a wholly original musical.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 4:57pm

That first album is still insanely popular with people so I'd assume the majority of it was used. Pretty much every time I see her in concert she plays most songs from it and then picks one or two songs from other albums to fill up the set list. And that never fails to upset me. Her last concert at the release of HAVOC, I was really praying to hear some stuff from SUPPOSED FORMER INFATUATION JUNKIE and UNDER RUG SWEPT and she sang one song from each because she had to sing the entire JAGGED album and songs from the new one.

I really hope she can use this musical to showcase her far superior songs and get people who might not be aware that she's still as active in the industry as she is (since she's not played on the radio) to renew interest in her music.

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 4:59pm

Well, they're going to have to balance it emotionally, somehow, hopefully just the way you're saying, otherwise they're going to have an "angry little musical."

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 5:08pm

But that's not true. The album isn't an "angry" album. There are some "angry" songs on it but that's like saying GYPSY is about a lamb. There's a song about a lamb but that doesn't mean it's what it's about.

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 5:12pm

Oh, come on! If you know her career and that album as well as you say you do, then you know exactly how it was perceived and received when it came out.

The "lamb" is One Hand In My Pocket.

The rest of the hits were a lion, either angry, furious, pissed, ticked, or miffed. Degrees of bitter.

Brilliant, yes. But let's not change history.

EDIT: There's a reason the album is called "Jagged Little Pill."

Updated On: 11/8/13 at 05:12 PM

[a-mad]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 5:42pm

I'm confused... I'm not familiar with the entire album - but of the ones that were hits on the radio, there is one "really angry" one (You Outta Know). This is how I would describe the others:

Hand in My Pocket - definitely not angry... more fun and carefree (and a little rebellious)

Ironic - not really angry either... more "bad luck" than anything - in a somewhat humorous way (could be a poignant, reflective moment in the musical..)

You Learn - if anything this is "triumph over adversity"... not angry

Head over Feet - unabashedly romantic

All I Really Want - more a confessional to a partner than anything. Needy.. not angry.

That's quite a collection of diversity right there...

Are the other six songs really angry, furious, pissed, ticked or miffed?

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 5:55pm

I read a reference to you as "the former angry young woman". Does that label annoy you?

When someone says that I'm angry it's actually a compliment. I have not always been direct with my anger in my relationships, which is part of why I'd write about it in my songs because I had such fear around expressing anger as a woman. I thought I would be retaliated against or physically hit or vilified. Anger has been a really big deal for women: how can we express it without feeling that, as the physically weaker sex, we won't get killed. The alpha-woman was burned at the stake and had her head chopped off in days of old.


Alanis herself on being an

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 5:55pm

"then you know exactly how it was perceived and received when it came out."

Perceived is the operative word here. "You Oughta Know" was one of the biggest hits of the entire decade and was an angry song. Since it was essentially her debut song, it's what introduced most of the world to her so she was given that image. The fact that she performed it on every TV show when grunge was still very popular so she "head banged" the hell out of it gave it a lot of rage. BUT the album as a whole is NOT an angry album. As a-mad points out, of the other songs on it that became hits, no other song has that kind of anger. Some might even say they're "happy" songs.

So even if they went into this show thinking "We're going to make this an ANGRY musical using these songs", they'd be fooling themselves because the music does not fit that. At all.

Updated On: 11/8/13 at 05:55 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 5:57pm

The perception that those other songs aren't angry is also a perception.


Alanis Morissette on 'angry' reputation: 'Anger is glorious'

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 5:59pm

Alanis Morissette - Alanis Morissette: Anger Is A Compliment

Updated On: 11/8/13 at 05:59 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 6:00pm

That article says exactly what I said, though..

"Morissette has now told Parade that she is at peace with being forever identified with the rage in her first hit song."

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 6:02pm

Yes, but she IS forever identified.

So, the "tricky" part (as I originally said) will be to convince others that the mellower Morrissette material is just as interesting and relevant. It will be necessary in a stage musical with a storyline, too.

[a-mad]

Posted: 11/8/13 at 6:02pm

^ (to best12bars) that makes no sense to me whatsoever... so basically you're saying that since You Outta Know is very angry, and it was very successful, that the "perception" out there is that every song on the album is angry?

Where are you going with this? I have no idea what you're trying to defend... Does the creative team now say - "People are expecting an angry musical, so let's make Hand in my Pocket angry, even if its not intended to be..."