You, you, you oughta know that Alanis Morissette is coming to Broadway. The Canadian alternative songwriter’s Jagged Little Pill musical, inspired by the 1995 album of the same name, is set to appear on The Great White Way later this year.
With an original story by Diablo Cody (Juno, Tully), the play features songs from Morissette’s catalog along with new numbers penned by her and Glen Ballard. The show premiered in the summer of 2018 at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Director Diane Paulus, best known for Waitress, will guide the production onto the New York stage, which will also mark Cody’s Broadway debut.
Update – May 3rd: Previews of the musical will begin at the Broadhurst Theatre on Sunday, November 3rd, ahead of its official opening on Thursday, December 5th. Head here for more info.
“This process, and what this process has yielded artistically and collaboratively, has been nothing short of a revelation, a balm and an arrival for me,” Morissette said in a statement (via Deadline). “It is a culmination of so much of what my life’s work has been oriented toward. To work with Diablo Cody, whose heart is as open as her mind is bright and brave, has taken this record – which has meant so much to me – to a whole other level of depth, meaning and natural activism.”
The story follows a family called the Healys. On the surface, they seem to be living the perfect suburban life, but when “the cracks beneath the surface begin to show, they must choose between maintaining the veneer, or defiantly facing truths about themselves and the world around them.”
We’re honored to continue the legacy of Alanis’ masterpiece by shepherding a brilliant team of creative minds and shaping Jagged Little Pill into an essential and relevant Broadway musical,” said producers Vivek J. Tiwary, Arvind Ethan David, and Eva Price in a joint remark, “one that speaks to modern times and everyone in it – the insider, the outsider, and those in between.”
There’s no word yet on where or when Jagged Little Pill will debut, nor have their been any casting announcements. Still, the production is expected to be up on Broadway lights this fall.
Read Morissette’s full statement:
“This process, and what this process has yielded artistically and collaboratively, has been nothing short of a revelation, a balm and an arrival for me. It is a culmination of so much of what my life’s work has been oriented toward. To work with Diablo Cody, whose heart is as open as her mind is bright and brave, has taken this record – which has meant so much to me – to a whole other level of depth, meaning and natural activism. Touching on topics that keep me up at night for how deeply I care about them, Diablo’s at once fierce, sensitive and hilarious voice—and her willingness to stay and deepen the course through this journey of creation has been one of the greatest gifts of my life to behold.
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s ability to allow these strong and agile bodies and movement to animate and tell this story on visual, spatial, somatic and heart-gripping visceral levels is unlike anything I have ever seen. Tom Kitt’s multi-layered and seemingly effortless weaving together of the musical tapestry of these songs that range from tiny and pin-drop subtle to a kaleidoscope of blended honorings and re-interpretations, leave me with chills and tears.
All of this, with Diane Paulus as our fearless visionary and leader. Diane’s searing intelligence and her capacity to hold the complexity as well as the stillness, and her ability to see the big picture of what this story represents to so many of us, has allowed for her leadership to bring us into a level of profundity and service that we were both deeply moved and cracked open by. The entire team is the dream-come-true collaboration. A relational system of slam dunks, and a community of people who each care in a way that marks each person’s unique and powerful contribution.
Grateful does not even come close to how I feel throughout this journey thus far. This process is tinged with giddiness, terror, surrender, wild passion, joy and light.”