Look first off there was nobody like Alanis Morissette. She was Taylor Swift before there was a Taylor Swift. But Alanis was an adult and not afraid to lay it all out. Jagged Little Pill was her masterpiece, in fact it was a masterpiece for anyone. Now the fanboy stuff is over and lets get to the musical Jagged Little Pill now playing in Lincoln at the Lied Center.
In the current political atmosphere this is the kind of musical that Ron Desantis and perhaps 33 members of the Nebraska Legislature would try and ban. It covers all the hot button "woke" issues. There's pill addiction, there's rape, there's LGBTQ, there's gender confusion, there's trans gender, there's race, there's male indifference, there's rage and jealousy and there is stale marriages. This "wokeism" that the right hates slugs you right between the eyes from the start and its just great.
The story is about a family on the ropes. The wife is addicted to opiates, the daughter is adopted and black and confused, the son is trying to live up to the parents' high hopes, the husband is a workaholic who's never home, and the daughters friend is a non binary teen with teen issues. There are other characters, the teen rape victim, the daughter's "boyfriend", the rich kid rapist and a dance team that just freakin kills it. I haven't seen this much energy and quite frankly youthful limberness is ages. The dancers are flippin contortionists.
Mom, Mary Jane Healy, played by Broadway veteran Heidi Klingenstaff , is trying to hold everything together by herself and failing miserably. The son, Nick, played by newcomer Dillon Klena, has been accepted to Harvard and is just trying to hold it together for one more semester. The adopted daughter, Frankie ,and played by newcomer Lauren Chanel is questioning her own identity as a black teen in a white world and her own sexuality, The husband, Steve, played by Broadway vet Chris Hoch, is working 60 hours a week making money while ignoring the reality of his collapsing family.
Life goes on, MJ becomes a back alley opiate customer, Nick witnesses a rape and fails to come forward, Frankie destroys her friend Jo by sleeping with a boy (the scene of Phoenix played by Rishi Golani running away thru the audience with his pants around his ankles is hilarious) and Steve comes to understand his wife is fucked up and it's a lot his fault.
All the issues are right here. The rape, the addiction, the racial problem, the gender issue, the trans gender issue, the wealthy getting away with anything, the teen idealism and rage. The rage of Alanis Morissette.
Don't get the idea that this is a bummer of a musical. Its really not. Issues get resolved . There's a lot of humor and current slaps at the anti woke crowd and Fox News (which drew a LOUD cheer). It really is not for everyone but it WAS for us.
Heidi Klingenstaff who plays MJ, is not only a fantastic singer with great range, she's a damn good actress pulling off this role. The rest of the cast, mostly newcomers, is also phenomenal. But lets get to the character Jo, played by newcomer Jade McLeod. She plays Frankies best bud and potential girlfriend until it becomes apparent Frankie isn't exclusively gay. She gets the You Oughta Know moment, She belts that song out with such rage and energy it's impossible not to think that this singer/actress isn't going places . My God it was a powerful moment and made admission worth it.
Go see this if you get a chance. Not only great Alanis songs, but great acting and a great modern day story. I expected good, I got great.
