What It All Comes Down To: How Jagged Little Pill Became a Broadway Musical About a Fractured Family

Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette’s seminal 1995 album, unleashed a young woman’s anger, intensity and vulnerability into a world of pop fans who were clearly craving its confessional lyrics and catchy melodies. The record went on to produce six hit singles, sell over 33 million copies and garner two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, making Morissette, at age 21, the youngest artist in history to win that honor. Using the songs as the basis for a plot that illuminates such serious issues as addiction, sexual assault and race relations, writer Diablo Cody and director Diane Paulus have fashioned a new Broadway musical, also titled Jagged Little Pill, which channels Morissette’s power while telling a completely original story.

"I never felt like I had to shoehorn songs into a narrative, or vice versa," Cody, who won an Academy Award for writing the screenplay of Juno, tells Broadway.com. "The songs are inherently authentic and human and exciting and all those things we want theater to be."

The story of the musical centers on the Healy family, who appear picture-perfect—but, of course, looks are deceiving. "The Healys have a complicated dynamic, like all families," Cody says. "Mary Jane, the mother, is very image-conscious and also has a lot of trauma she hasn't addressed." The role is played by Broadway stalwart Elizabeth Stanley, who has worked steadily on stage in an eclectic mix of shows such as Company, Cry-Baby, Million Dollar Quartet and On the Town.

"This show is the most different off of the page of anything I've ever worked on," Stanley says. "Alanis' lyrics are very heady, but also, in other moments, [they are] so literal and exactly like what you want to say to someone." Stanley says her character, who is desperate to project perfection but is internally struggling, is relatable: "She is a Connecticut housewife who's upper class and very particular about appearances—you know, making sure her kids are the best at school and that she is getting to all of her Soul Cycle classes on time. She's definitely that person that I have been a version of at times in my life. I think a lot of us can relate to just trying to keep up with everything. She also has her Instagrammable side of life, as we all do."
 

Cody says the show sprang from Stanley's character, which is based on the song, "Mary Jane." She explains, "The song was a jumping-off point for me because it introduces a very specific and memorable character. I thought to myself, 'OK, Mary Jane is the protagonist of this show.' The lyrics were so haunting and inspiring and just painted a picture for me. The rest of the Healy family followed naturally."

Stanley is joined on stage by a company of Broadway faves and newcomers, including Derek Klena, Celia Rose Gooding, Sean Allan Krill, Kathryn Gallagher and Lauren Patten. Some of the stars were not yet born when Morissette’s album came out. "People that are younger are like, 'Oh, I don't really know that album," Stanley says, noting that when they start to listen, they are transfixed. "They're like, 'Oh! That's on there?' It's just an incredible album."

The record features the well-known songs "You Oughta Know," "Ironic" and "Hand in My Pocket" (two new songs have also been added to the musical). As for making the themes of a 24-year-old album relevant to new audiences, Cody says, "Much to my relief, I never had a single moment where I listened to the album and thought, 'Wow, this is really '90s. We need to update this!'"
 

"Jagged Little Pill is such a transformative, iconic album for so many people," Paulus says. "Every member of the creative team came to the project as if it were a calling. Listening to the songs in the context of the moment we're living in today made me realize that Alanis was way ahead of her time—the songs feel like they were written for us right now."

Speaking of "right now," the show touches on several timely matters from gender identity to the opioid epidemic. "I don't think I set out to make an 'issues' show, believe it or not," Cody says. "But if you're telling a contemporary story about society, and you want it to be truthful and unflinching, there's no way to avoid everything that's going on out there." She notes that race, sexual assault and addiction are not niche issues, adding, "This is the fabric of our culture."

The creative team feels certain that the show works for both hardcore fans and Alanis newbies. "I am excited to give Alanis' fans a theatrically visceral experience," Paulus says, "and I also can't wait for a whole new generation of audiences to discover the power and relevance of her music." Putting her finger on why the music remains relevant, Cody notes, "It all comes back to how life is about contradictions, hard-won lessons and healing. And that healing only comes about when we're willing to face the darkness. Growth is painful, but worth it."
 

Jagged Little Pill starts November 3 at the Broadhurst Theatre.

Photos by Caitlin McNaney for Broadway.com

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