With US tour, Alanis Morissette’s Covid-stricken musical gets new life

With US tour, Alanis Morissette’s Covid-stricken musical gets new life

The Tony-nominated and -winning show opened on Broadway for the 2019-2020 season but was forced to close because of the pandemic.

The musical ‘Jagged Little Pill’ is based on Morisette’s 1995 album of the same name. (Reuters pic)
NEW YORK:
Alanis Morissette’s musical “Little Jagged Pill” received 15 Tony nominations and won two of them, for best book and best actress, after opening on Broadway for the 2019-2020 season. It was then forced to close last year because of the pandemic.

While the show had to close its curtains to new audiences in New York, it’s been given a new life touring the United States and opening in London’s West End.

“It was devastating, the Covid moment,” Morissette told Reuters before opening night at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. “But at the same time, the whole planet was subject to the Covid shift, so we were in the pool with everybody.”

The musical features all the tracks from Morissette’s classic 1995 album of the same name and focuses on the Healy family’s complex struggles including opiate addiction, gender identity, sexual assault and more.

“There were different perspectives and incentives around what storyline, what narrative to follow,” Morissette said. “I remember having a conversation with (writer) Diablo Cody and there had been some reticence expressed around the sexual abuse part.

“I remember thinking I’m a woman, I can back this up, I have different experiences so I can speak to it directly, and I think it assuaged their fear to the point where we moved forward to where the storyline now is.”

Cody watches the show often to ensure it continues to embody their vision. “Being in the theatre during some of those scenes is an incredibly intense experience because you see people personally connecting to those stories and you see people crying,” Cody told Reuters.

Watching the show for Morissette is also an opportunity to connect with the audience in unexpected ways. It can feel trippy to hear the words she wrote based on her own experiences resonate with others, she said.

“When I write it, it’s all about me, and then once I share it, it’s not mine anymore. It can be made personalised. It can be shifted.”

“Jagged Little Pill” will open in London’s West End in November.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.