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Regional Reviews: St. Louis Jagged Little Pill Also see Richard's reviews of Wakey Wakey and 12th Annual LaBute New Theater Festival
But this jukebox musical was born to fight, packed with urgent, feisty songs from Alanis Morrisette's 1995 hit album, which are regularly transformed into beautiful theatrical ballads in this Tesseract Theatre production at the Marcelle Theatre. Tesseract's co-founder Brittanie Gunn creates a mobius strip of unstoppable physical and psychological action, choreographing and directing the two and a half hour story of suburban life, made suspenseful in its battles over drug addiction and more. And though it opened promisingly in 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the American Repertory Theatre, Jagged Little Pill had the bad luck to reach Broadway right before COVID in November of 2019. After a forced hiatus in March of 2020, it reopened in October 2021 and ran for two more months. Diablo Cody won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for her story of an everyday family in Connecticut, caught in a yarn that perfectly weaves in Morrisette's hit songs. The subject matter sounds challenging, with oxycodone abuse replacing the 1970s pill of choice, Valium, as "mother's little helper." Add on the stress of an overworked dad and plenty of teenaged drama, and suddenly a lot of angsty, poetic, yearning lyrics take flight in an entirely new way. With this production's top-notch cast the harmonies are consistently amazing, thanks to the silky vocal direction of Leah Schultz, who leads a faultless eight person band here. The score from the original staging also includes additional music by Glen Ballard, Michael Farrell and Guy Sigsworth. It's an ambitious property, and now an ambitious revival, beautifully realized in front of an eerie, glowing set designed by Todd Schaefer, with lights by Kevin Bowen and costumes by Sarah Gene Dowling. The show seems to have aged remarkably well, beyond its charmed blend of book and music. Here it has a chorus that's jammed with talent every bit as much as the main cast in terms of character development and movement and the collective beauty of their singing. Kinya Kairigi and Milo Garlich are ringingly real as teenage lesbian lovers Frankie and Jo, with the always admirable Stephen Henley in what seems like a valedictory bit of casting as college-bound Nick, Frankie's seemingly perfect brother. It all looks like a Hallmark Christmas movie for the Healys, as Mary Jane (Frankie and Nick's mother, played by the subtly layered Loren Goudreau) taps out a glowing holiday newsletter on her laptop. But all her vain oaths of domestic bliss bring down a curse on the family, as her persistent controlling efforts force the Healys' imperfections to the surface. Kevin O'Brien is once again remarkably authentic on stage, here as the father, whether ducking a family evening together or fighting over his shrinking common ground with Ms. Goudreau as Mary Jane. Lauren Tenenbaum is unbeatable as Bella, a classmate of Frankie's, tormented by a sexual assault and social media humiliation, made even worse when she finally reaches out to Mary Jane for help. Each woman shares a writhing dance with Lilian Cooper, who's quite splendid as "dream versions" of both Bella and Mary Jane. Ms. Cooper is as otherworldly in her vocalese as she is her movement, reminding us that we may remain entangled with the same flawed version of ourselves that first stumbled into the jaws of high drama, months or even years ago. You can almost hear the "Carmina Burana" at the end of Act One, as the ensemble gathers to sing the crashing "Forgiven" before intermission. It's a stunning stylistic elevation where Morissette's catchy, introspective songs rise to the height of grand opera. The whole thing is memorably great as an overall collaboration. And it's Christmas for a critic, with all the myriad, lovingly constructed characters on stage. Clayton Humburg still makes for a great teenager, among other roles. And Scott Degitz-Fries, who should be getting bigger roles, once again shows his highly trained skill, playing a wary pharmacist and a weary high school teacher. Jabari Boykin is heartwarming as a boyfriend for one of the young women, and Eesha Ved is highly authentic as a marriage counselor. In the very last minutes of Act Two, the musical almost becomes a victim of the harmonies of its own genre. The battle-scarred family lays down its armor, and a slightly artificial psychological harmony takes over. But should I complain that a troubled family is, at last, modeling good behavior? Or acknowledge instead that for the first 85 percent of this fascinating show, we're treated to a fresh and original work, where great issues are hashed out with poetry, complexity, and brains? Jagged Little Pill, produced by the Tesseract Theatre Company, runs through July 26, 2026, at the Marcelle Theatre, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, St. Louis MO. For tickets and information, please visit www.tesseracttheatreco.org. Cast: Featuring: * Denotes Dance Captain The Tesseract Band: Production Staff: |
