Get This In Your Ears

Words | C. Eden Kidd A THROWBACK TO ONE OF THE 90’S MOST RECOGNIZABLE GRUNGE ALBUMS.

In June of 1995, a powerfully talented 21 year-old with a lot on her mind released an album. “Jagged Little Pill,” Alanis Morissette’s first rock record, became one of the most recognizable albums of the 90s. Pop producer Glen Ballard co-wrote the album as well as played most of the instruments, and the pair created a record with a striking juxtaposition of familiar pop melodies and a grungy garage-like sound. This eclectic mix plus Morissette’s biting, uncomfortably vulnerable vocal style gave the record undeniable outreach. From the sweet musings of “Head Over Feet” to the famously unironic track “Ironic” to the gut-punch powerhouse “Forgiven,” Morissette delivered her honest perspective with characteristic passion. “Jagged Little Pill” would go on to sell over two million copies in five months, win five Grammys, and in 2018, become a Broadway musical. most of us try to maintain. From the all-encompassing plot to the earth-shattering musical arrangements to the brutal power of the cast’s vocal performances, Jagged Little Pill revives Morissette’s original release stunningly. The cast communicates with the same fervor and vulnerability that characterize Morissette’s writing (her “ignore me, I dare you” vocal style still belongs exclusively to her). That palpable desperation to be heard is what gives both Jagged Little Pills their impact. It’s the reason an album released 25 years ago still resonates with a Broadway audience today. In 1995, a 21 year-old spoke her mind, and today we’re still listening. “Jagged Little Pill rips apart the practically perfect façade most of us try to maintain.”

Written by Oscar-winning “Juno” screenwriter Diablo Cody, the Broadway adaptation of Jagged Little Pill feels at first as though every hot-button topic of the 2010s were thrown in a blender and poured onto one family. The Healy family appears to be an average suburban family of four. But there’s no drama in that, is there? Well, the uninvolved father is a porn-addicted workaholic. The mother nurses her own addiction to opioids in the wake of a recent car accident and resurfacing sexual trauma. Their golden-child son cracks under pressure to be perfect and maintain his family’s reputation. Meanwhile his best friend is accused of rape. And the Healys’ adopted daughter, the only black member of the family, struggles to find her identity in her racial heritage which her family ignores. She also explores her developing sexuality with her gay best friend Jo, who would unfortunately be better off if their family and church were to ignore Jo’s identity.

It’s a little overwhelming at first. That’s intentional. Explicitly by refusing to shy away from any issue, Jagged Little Pill rips apart the practically perfect façade