Jagged Little Pill

Jagged Little Pill is playing at the Broadhurst Theatre located at 235 West 44 Street. It runs two hours thirty minutes with one intermission. It is open ended run.

The musical premiered at the American Repertory Theatre Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 5, 2018.

Diane Paules is the director. She won a Tony Award in 2013 for Pippin and was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 for Hair.

Tom Kitt is the music supervisor, orchestrator and arranger. He shares a Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Brian Young in 2010 for Next to Normal.

The chorus comes out and sings and dance. The orchestra comes together in the back of the stage.

When they leave we see a family on the couch.

It’s Christmas, there is a Christmas tree behind them. The mother Mary Jane Healy (Elizabeth Stanley) is with her husband Steve (Sean Allan Krill) and their children Nick (Derek Klena) and Frankie (Celia Rose Gooding). Mary Jane is typing in her computer a Christmas e mail on what happened during the Year. One thing is she had back surgery and is feeling great. She takes pain pills.

Mary Jane and Steve’s marriage is at a standstill. Mary Jane complains he works more than they see him. He works sixty hours a week. Steve says she never has sex with him. Nick has applied to Harvard, he’s a good kid. Frankie is African American and adopted by Mary Jane and Steve.

Frankie is friends with Jo (Lauren Patten). When they go up to her bedroom they kiss on the lips.

Steve gets accepted to Harvard.

Steve and Frankie usually do not go to parties but they decided to go to one.

Steve’s friend Andrew brings a bottle of hard liquor. Andrew, Nick and Frankie have a couple of drinks from the bottle. Frankie’s friend Bella (Kathryn Gallagher) joins them drinking. She gets plastered.

Frankie meets Phoenix (Antonio Cipriano) at the party. She is smitten with him.

Mary Jane has gone to two different doctors for pills for the pain in her back neither will refill the prescription. So, she buys pain killers off a dealer on the street.

Bella tells Frankie she was so drunk that Andrew raped her and she couldn’t fight him off. Frankie tells her to go to the police, she will come with her. Of course, they don’t believe her Andrew is from a prominent family.

Mary Jane runs the family.

There is more to the story but I’m not telling you and spoil the show for you.

The show is breathtaking. A must to see. The music and band were great,

However, there were times when they were singing, I couldn’t understand the words. Other people in the audience in the audience didn’t either.

Kathryn Gallagher, Ceila Rose Gooding, Derek Klena, Sean Allen Krill, Lauren Penn and Elizabeth Stanley were outstanding. Ceila is making her Broadway debut. She was amazing.

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui choreography blew me away. Richard Hernandez set was remarkable.

Do see this show.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor.

To read a candid interview with the cast, scroll down to the left for photos. Click on photos for this and other shows.