Based on the iconic hometown album, Ottawa’s queer theatre company premieres the Jagged Little Pill (JLP) musical Sep 24 – Oct 3 at the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC).
Oscar winner Diablo Cody’s book depicts an unconventional family as they grapple with addiction, assault, racism, and gender identity all while struggling in their attempt to understand each other set against Alanis Morissette’s Grammy winning music.
Toto Too (TT) board member and JLP director Lisa Dunn notes the “amazing female creative energy” behind the musical.
In the ‘90s, “male focused energy and storytelling” like Green Day, Metallica, and Aerosmith topped the charts, Dunn recalls. Then JLP hit and “all of a sudden there is this album for girls like me,” Dunn continues. “It was the first album I felt was written for someone like me… hearing what a strong female storyteller can do and how it can shape you as a person.”
Stafania Wheelhouse, who portrays matriarch Mary Jane “MJ” Healy, says the album effortlessly translates to the stage production.
“It lends itself so well. People don’t associate Alanis’ music with a musical. They will be surprised at how seamlessly this goes together,” Wheelhouse says.
Wheelhouse describes her character as a woman desperate to appear like the perfect Connecticut mom, while being an “absolute neurotic mess of a woman.”
“I find her story so relatable because she is trying so hard all the time while also trying to make it look like she’s not trying at all,” Wheelhouse says.
Frequent collaborators, Dunn praises Wheelhouse’s ability to balance drama and comedy in her performance.
“The whole layer of masking addiction, Stef has found that niche spot where it feels real and believable. Her subtle movements make you understand where she is on her journey without having to be super big, overdone, and overproduced. I understand her without it feeling fake and forced. I have seen her in many shows. I have never seen her have to dig this deep into raw human emotion.”
In addition to MJ’s demons, the Healys’ Black adopted daughter Frankie grapples with her identity and where she fits in, with help from her non-binary friend Jo. An assault at a high school party acts as “a catalyst to unearthing a lot of the drama and hidden secrets that has been guiding this family dynamic, unbeknownst to everyone, including MJ, who has been the most triggered by the events,” Wheelhouse says.
The heavy subject matter in JLP tested the actors’ genuine emotions, Dunn divulges, adding they would have dance parties during rehearsal breaks to lighten the mood.
“I have never been in rehearsal where you look around and people are watching each other and they are moved to tears. I can’t say enough about what they go through to bring this story to the stage, it is emotional, raw, and at times really sad. We wanted to make sure everyone left feeling light. For every tear there were ten laughs,” Dunn says. “There are a lot of layers to this. It’s not SpongeBob. We have no dancing fish.”
While there are no boogieing bass in JLP, the show features a dedicated dance troupe, in addition to a vocal ensemble, something unique to the Ottawa community theatre stage.
Choreographer Alianne Rozon drew from hip hop, contemporary dance, and tutting, a style named for King Tut that replicates sharp angles and geometry, similar to voguing.
The troupe conveys the emotional journey of the main characters through movement, Rozon says.
“I wanted to visually interpret what the characters aren’t able to say themselves. We have dancers of a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines. I wanted to give them the space to interpret the choreography and make it their own,” Rozon says.
First working with TT in their production of Avenue Q in 2015, Rozon says she enjoys working withlongtime producer and TT board member Justin Ladelpha.
“He has allowed performers to find their ground, showcase what they are good at and what they can bring to the table,” Rozon says. “There is a lot of room with TT to grow as an artist but also be celebrated for the unique things you bring to the performance.”
Audiences can expect a high calibre of dance and a unique interpretation of the show, Rozon previews.
“You can relate to the music in a brand new way. The music, the choreography, and the storyline really pull at one’s heart strings and make it easy for anyone to relate.”