Jagged Little Pill is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Alanis Morissette and Glen
Ballard, and the book by Diablo Cody (of Juno fame). The musical is inspired by
the 1995 album of the same name by Morissette. In addition to music from the
show's namesake album, Jagged Little Pill also features other songs from
Morissette's catalog, including "Thank U", "That I Would Be
Good", and "So Pure" from 1998's Supposed Former Infatuation
Junkie, "So Unsexy" and "Hands Clean" from 2002's Under
Rug Swept, "Unprodigal Daughter" from 2002's Feast on Scraps,
"No" from the Japanese edition of 2012's Havoc and Bright Lights
and "Uninvited" from the soundtrack of the 1998 film City of
Angels. Morissette also wrote two new songs for the musical,
"Smiling" and "Predator". Inspired by the themes and
emotions from Morissette's album, the musical Jagged Little Pill deals
with pain, healing, and empowerment. The show began previews on Broadway in
November 3. 2019, and opened on December 5, 2019.
Act I
Mary Jane Healy, or MJ for
short, is a mother that is writing the yearly family Christmas letter, which is
her way of bragging about her seemingly perfect family. She writes about her
husband Steve's job promotion, her daughter Frankie's art, and her son Nick's
early admission to Harvard University. MJ writes that she got into a car crash,
but is healing with the help of natural remedies, like hot yoga. What she does
not write is that Steve is addicted to pornography, Frankie is making out with
her best friend, Jo, as this letter is being written, and MJ is addicted to the
painkillers from the car accident ("Right Through You"). One morning
before breakfast, Steve complains about MJ's refusal to be intimate. At
breakfast, MJ reprimands Frankie for wearing revealing shorts. Frankie is mad
that they noticed her shorts, but not her sign for a protest she organized. MJ
pressures Nick to be perfect to keep up the family's image ("All I Really
Want"). At school, Nick's friends congratulate him on his acceptance to
Harvard and tell him that he should come to a party that night to celebrate.
Frankie and Jo discuss how their mothers don't understand or accept them:
Frankie's because of her disapproval of her self-expression and Jo's mom not
accepting her being gay or her gender expression ("Hand in My
Pocket").
MJ goes to a pharmacy to get a
refill on her prescription for her painkillers. The pharmacist says that she
needs a new prescription in order for them to fill it. MJ then calls a drug
dealer to get her the painkillers instead. MJ moves through her day backwards,
starting with getting the drugs in the alley, then doing her daily activities,
and ending with her running out of the pills at the beginning of the day
("Smiling"). On the last day of Frankie's English class before winter
break, she reads a short story she wrote aloud in a writer's workshop for her
class to critique. The students in the class interrupt and criticize her for
stating that the things she claims to be ironic in her piece are not actually
ironic, just bad things that happened to someone. A new student, Phoenix,
defends Frankie and encourages her to finish ("Ironic"). A romantic
attraction begins between the two, and Phoenix states that he is single. After
class, Phoenix and Frankie decide to go to the party that night. At home, Steve
calls MJ to say that he is stuck at work. MJ and Steve get into an argument.
Steve says he wants to see a marriage counselor, yet MJ refuses ("So
Unsexy"). Nick comforts MJ after the fight. MJ claims that Nick is the
only thing that she has ever done right. MJ asks Nick to watch a movie with
her. He tells her that he is going to a party with Frankie. MJ claims that
parties are 'not his scene' but still encourages him to go, and Nick reflects
on the pressures of him from his mother to be perfect ("Perfect").
Frankie and Nick go to the
party ("Lancer's Party (So Pure)"). Frankie and Phoenix find each
other and leave the crowded party to talk alone, and they discuss their
imperfect family lives. Frankie feels like her black identity is being erased
by her adoptive white family. Phoenix's dad left when he was young and never
calls, and Phoenix has to help his mom take care of his sister with a medical
condition. Meanwhile, Jo couldn’t attend the party because her mom forced her
to go to a church function. Jo is scolded by her mom and church for being gay
and not dressing femininely enough ("That I Would Be Good"). Phoenix
asks Frankie if she has a boyfriend, and she says that she doesn't. The next morning
at school, Jo and Frankie discuss how both of their nights were not fun and
didn’t go as planned. Jo brings up Phoenix and his crush on Frankie, but
Frankie brushes it off and doesn't mention her talk with him at the party. Jo
shows Frankie pictures that are circulating throughout the school of Bella,
Nick's friend, who was drunk, passed out, and had her shirt pulled up at the
party. Students are making fun of Bella and calling her a slut. Frankie and Jo
go to Bella's house, despite barely knowing her, to check on her. Bella reveals
that Andrew, Nick's best friend, was the one who took the pictures and raped
her, but no one believes her. Frankie and Jo tell Bella they believe her.
Frankie goes home and wakes Nick up to reprimand him about going to the police
since he was the only witness of Bella at the party. Nick brushes off Bella's
claim, saying that she was drunk and being dramatic per usual. MJ overhears the
conversation and insists that Nick can't come forward as it might ruin his
reputation. MJ blames Bella for what happened, saying that this situation is
super common, but she is visibly upset by the story and leaves the house to get
some air ("Wake Up"). MJ walks to the church for the first time in a
while to pray about her failing marriage, struggling relationship with Frankie,
and for help with her addiction. She then reflects on her own memory of being
raped in college, but blames herself and feels it was God's plan for her
("Forgiven").
Act II
Steve finally convinces MJ to
go to their first marriage counseling session, despite her reluctance
("Not the Doctor"). Steve reveals that he and MJ have not had sex for
over a year. MJ says that they don't need sex since Steve is constantly
watching porn. The therapist wonders if MJ's car accident may have triggered
memories of past sexual trauma, but MJ insists she does not have any sexual
trauma. Steve states that he appreciates MJ for all she does for him and the
family, and he tells her that he misses her and the way they used to be.
Meanwhile, Frankie and Phoenix sing to each other and end up sleeping together
("Head over Feet"). Jo walks into the Healy's house uninvited
("Your House") and walks in on Frankie and Phoenix. Jo gets mad and
storms out of the house. On her way out, she runs into MJ and Steve fighting
while coming home from therapy. Jo tells them that Frankie just had sex with
Phoenix. Phoenix leaves quickly, leaving Frankie alone with her parents. MJ and
Steve reprimand her for having sex so young. Frankie comes out to her parents
as bisexual, and she gets mad at her parents for being disapproving of her
consensual sex while they don't care about Bella's rape. Frankie says that
she's not actually their daughter since she was adopted and blames her parents
for only seeing her as who they want her to be, not who she really is. Frankie
decides to run away to New York City. Steve and MJ get into another fight about
Steve not being present during Frankie's childhood. Frankie takes a train alone
to New York ("Unprodigal Daughter"). When she gets lost in the city,
Frankie calls Phoenix. She tells him that she loves him and that he should come
pick her up. When Phoenix doesn't say 'I love you' back and that he needs to
stay at home to help his sister with her malfunctioning feeding tube, Frankie
gets angry and feels that Phoenix only wants her for her body.
Students are gossiping about
Bella and her accusations against Andrew. Bella comes to the Healy's house to
talk to Nick, but the only person home is MJ. MJ tells Bella she was also raped
in college. After Bella leaves, Nick tells MJ the entirety of what happened
that night. He was in the room when Bella was unconscious and raped, but he did
nothing ("Predator"). Nick tells his mom that he wants to go to the
police, but MJ says that it would only ruin his life and not help Bella's. MJ
is devastated and furious, but Nick accuses her of only caring about herself
and her reputation, and not about Bella. MJ hits him. Jo comes to New York to
pick up Frankie after Frankie desperately calls her, lost and out of money. She
shows little remorse about sleeping with Phoenix since she didn't think her
relationship with Jo was exclusive. She tells Jo that she fell in love with
Phoenix. Jo says that Frankie would have told her about Phoenix if she didn't
know it was wrong. Jo ends the relationship ("You Oughta Know").
Frankie gets a call that something is wrong with MJ. At home, MJ overdoses on
her pills, and Steve and Nick find her unconscious ("Uninvited").
When Steve gets to the hospital, he is devastated that he didn't know how MJ
had an addiction and comforts her ("Mary Jane"). They both agree to
start to truly try to work on their marriage. When Nick gets to the hospital,
MJ tells him that he should go to the police because justice for Bella is more
important than her reputation, but Nick already went to the police. Meanwhile,
many students attend the rally that Frankie organized for Bella. Bella is mad
at Nick since people only believed her once Nick came forward, and her
statement wasn't enough ("No").
A year has passed, and MJ is
writing the yearly Healy Christmas letter. She writes about Frankie's passion
for social justice and her dedication to helping Bella. MJ opens up about
having been a victim of sexual assault as well. Bella is finally going to tell
her side of the story in court. MJ and Frankie reconcile after MJ overcomes her
addiction. MJ tells Frankie that she wanted her to feel like every other kid
and not be treated differently because of her race, but Frankie tells her that
she will always be different ("Thank U"). Nick is taking a year off
before college to find himself. MJ discusses that her and Steve are in therapy,
both individually and together. She opens up about her overdose and treatment
for her addiction to painkillers, but she has learned to see how kind the
people in her life truly are. Frankie dares MJ to email the Christmas letter to
everyone, and MJ sends it. She decides that this will be her last Christmas
letter. Jo and Frankie rekindle their friendship, and Jo has a new girlfriend.
Frankie and Phoenix are now just friends ("You Learn").
Broadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a
well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert
brothers; the Broadhurst opened September 27, 1917. Built back-to-back with the
Majestic, it was meant to resemble the style of the neighboring Shubert and
Booth theaters designed by Henry B. Herts, using less expensive brick and terra
cotta materials on the discreetly neoclassical façades. It was named after
George Howells Broadhurst, an Anglo-American dramatist who came to America in
1886. In addition to writing plays, he managed theaters in Milwaukee,
Baltimore, and San Francisco before he decided to open his own in association
with the Shubert brothers. The theatre was constructed to house both musicals
and plays, which it has done successfully for more than a century. It has been
designated a New York City landmark. The Broadhurst opened on September 27,
1917.
