DETROIT – What else can you expect when an entire Broadway musical is inspired by the music of Canadian alt-rocker Alanis Morissette?
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Jagged Little Pill, the Tony Award-winning jukebox musical, tells the story of the Healys: a perfectly imperfect American family. What starts with a Christmas letter about the family’s accomplishments for the year quickly unveils the problems bubbling underneath the glistening family portrait.
If you’ve listened to anything by Alanis Morissette, you can only imagine where it’s heading.
Jagged Little Pill manages to bring to light a cornucopia of modern-day hot button issues in its two-and-a-half hours. From consent, to LGBTQIA+ rights, to addiction, these themes are explored through the lens of the Healys and how each family member handles the cracks that are unraveling after an incident that shakes up this perfect Connecticut town.
Mary Jane Healy (Heidi Blickenstaff, who played the role on Broadway) is the heartbreaking matriarch doing everything she can to hold on to perfection. Blickenstaff expertly takes the audience on her internal struggles that when she finally reaches her breaking point, her outburst is just gut-wrenching. Highlights include “Smiling,” a song Morissette wrote just for the musical that is very cleverly staged, and a haunting “Uninvited.”
Her daughter, Frankie Healy (Lauren Chanel), is torn between her love for Jo (Jade McLeod) and the mysterious new student Phoenix (Rishi Golani). Watching Chanel and Golani fall in love is a breath of fresh air in between weighty scenes and McLeod lights the stage on fire with their 11 o’clock number “You Oughta Know.” Allison Sheppard brings a ton of depth to her role as survivor Bella Fox, with tragically powerful numbers in “Predator” and “No,” I wished she had more to sing in the show.
The most underwhelming part of this show is Ricardo Hernández’s set design, which felt distractingly bare, even when filled with Justin Townsend’s lighting design and a stage full of dancers. I’m not sure if it was purposely done to have audiences focus on the drama, a la Dear Evan Hansen, but there were too many moments that felt like I was watching a black box.
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Speaking of dancers, the talented and young ensemble pops in and out of songs, acting as a Greek chorus that fist pumps and jumps their way around the family with a grunge style reminiscent of the cast of RENT. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s choreography is exciting and modern but can feel overdone and unnecessary at times.
Jagged Little Pill might be a hard one to swallow for some, but the payoff is worth it in the end. Once the story begins to really focus on the Healys is when the show is at its most captivating. And even though the struggles that the Healys undergo seem extreme, there is some aspect to it that everyone can relate to, and every person in the audience will attach to something different. That’s the beauty of live theater: even though everyone goes on the same journey, everyone leaves with a different connection.
Jagged Little Pill is now playing through February 26 at Fisher Theatre with a run time of 2 hours and 30 minutes. Jagged Little Pill is recommended for ages 14 and up. For showtimes and tickets, visit BroadwayinDetroit.com.