Jagged Little Pill.Broadhurst Theater, Broadway - NYC
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Broadhurst Theater, Broadway - NYC
Review/Notes Jagged Little Pill
November 2019
By Alyssa Krimsky Clossey
Jagged Little Pill, now on Broadway and playing at the Broadhurst Theater, stayed true to its original form as the A.R.T.'s 2018 production in Cambridge. Read the full 2018 review of the A.R.T. show - which details the themes, messages, etc.
Here are a few minor comments/thoughts of the Jagged Little Pill's Broadway show in comparison to the A.R.T. production -- in no particular order.
The character of Frankie (Celia Rose Gooding) has come very far from the A.R.T. production--her singing voice and her presence on stage was a tremendous change from the Cambridge performance. She owns this character and is fantastic! Also the chemistry between Phoenix (Antonio Cipriano) and Frankie is even stronger on Broadway, as is the chemistry between ALL the actors. This is a creative team that clearly loves each other. There is however a scene where Phoenix and Frankie are standing on a desk and actors are moving them back and forth. I don’t see any purpose of this, and it seems forced--it was also distracting to the audience. We don't need random movement, we are enthralled enough with Phoenix and Frankie singing and their chemistry alone without the jarring of the desk back and forth. I believe it was in the scene “Ironic”.
The character of Jo (Lauren Patten) is brilliantly portrayed; her version of "You Outta Know" continues to be standing ovation worthy. She is exceptional -- her movements, her voice, her control of the audience. We can't keep our eyes off of her. She continues to explode on stage in this song and we love every second.
In the A.R.T. production, we had a better understanding of the character of Andrew (Logan Hart); he visited Nick's (Derek Klena) home, he had more scenes which allowed us to get to know him better--and we were really able to see him as an influencer and an accused rapist. In this version, Andrew is pushed more aside as a character and perhaps that was done because the focus was not to be on him (the "villain") but on the survivors. In the Broadway version, Bella (Katheryn Gallagher) visits Nick's home to try and speak to Nick, to find out what he heard/saw the night of the party. This scene seemed forced, where the audience sees the mother Mary Jane (Elizabeth Stanley) interact with Bella. Considering Bella didn't seem to have much of a connection with the mother, I found it odd that she would open up to her so freely, and that Mary Jane (MJ) would just give her advice (to "move on", and "this soon will pass"). I also thought the mother would be much more uncomfortable with Bella (perhaps almost angry with her), as she was still blaming her for her "actions" the night of the party. Yet MJ was not angry, just a cold/flat in affect, and also starting to go through drug withdrawal. In the Broadway version, there is more connections of MJ as being a sexual assault survivor than at the A.R.T., such as her being on the bed (in the powerful scene and musical number by Bella and company "Predator").
In the A.R.T. version, there was a scene when Mary Jane closes the panels (perhaps it was in the Church scene, "Forgiven"), and before she does, she looks out to the audience with her big beautiful eyes -- it was a such a powerful visual. This was taken out of the Broadway version. While a subtle moment, it was powerful.
Good decision to get rid of the awkward cello in the "Perfect" scene with Nick--and the long scene of him in his bedroom singing "Perfect", with his trophy visuals on the panels. This Broadway scene is much smoother and more profound now, and it transitions well to him attending the infamous party.
When Bella is approached by Jo and Frankie about what happened at the party, the A.R.T. version had Bella in a depressed state in her bedroom. It was eerie and Bella was clearly in disbelieve/numb about what happened to her. I recall it took Frankie and Jo some time to get Bella to reveal the truth of the night, as initially, Bella had acted as though it wasn't a big deal, and what did happen was her fault--she's just in bed and "bummed out". Slowly at the A.R.T. version, we start hearing the truth come out. This was powerful. The visuals of the "creepy" dolls projected on the panels added to the innocence of a person being taken away, in just one night from a perpetrator. Yet in the Broadway version, dolls are mentioned, but no visuals are displayed. Bella is not in bed, she sitting on a couch (under a blanket), and she seems to explain in a more matter of fact/serious tone to Jo and Frankie what happened without a lot of prodding. It didn't seem as though Frankie and Jo knew Bella well, yet Bella had no problem telling them what happened--and she opened up freely in the Broadway version. I found this to be too easy of a reveal. At the A.R.T. version, it felt like they were better friends, so it made sense for Bella to tell them what happened in great detail, with great emotion.
"Smiling" and "Uninvited" continue to be extremely strong scenes, where the audience does not move/breathe as we follow every move of Mary Jane and the actors, whether going back in time/backwards, or seeing Mary Jane go through an episode with her demon spirits/younger self. Extremely powerful and it stayed true to the A.R.T. brilliant version.
In the scene where Mary Jane is looking to get more drugs from her dealer, at the A.R.T., it transitions quickly to a darken alley, so right away, the audience knows something is going to happen/something bad may happen. In the Broadway version, it still seems somewhat light and cheery out, despite her being behind buildings. The audience laughs a bit because they aren't sure what is going on with her wanting to hear from "him". They soon realize that this is no joke.
Loved how the company plays such a multitude of characters with so many costume changes; it is a thrill to watch them transform as an audience member--from snobby Moms at the Barista shop, to kids in a classroom. The company in general all "fit the part" -- every actor had its own personality and keeping everyone in the company around the same age range seems important for this show.
Let it be noted the Phoenix does an excellent job with his facial expressions in scenes, especially in the Ironic scene, where you can see him really listening to Frankie's poem and appreciating her messages; you can imagine what he is thinking and this is just through his facial expressions. His singing voice is exceptional, and his acting is real and raw; consistent and strong. Also, Mary Jane and Steve show great chemistry and genuine love for each other (and anger/frustration too!), it is highly believable they are a struggling couple and we are routing for them. Exceptional performances by all the actors, just a tremendous show that should not be missed!
November 2019
By Alyssa Krimsky Clossey
Jagged Little Pill, now on Broadway and playing at the Broadhurst Theater, stayed true to its original form as the A.R.T.'s 2018 production in Cambridge. Read the full 2018 review of the A.R.T. show - which details the themes, messages, etc.
Here are a few minor comments/thoughts of the Jagged Little Pill's Broadway show in comparison to the A.R.T. production -- in no particular order.
The character of Frankie (Celia Rose Gooding) has come very far from the A.R.T. production--her singing voice and her presence on stage was a tremendous change from the Cambridge performance. She owns this character and is fantastic! Also the chemistry between Phoenix (Antonio Cipriano) and Frankie is even stronger on Broadway, as is the chemistry between ALL the actors. This is a creative team that clearly loves each other. There is however a scene where Phoenix and Frankie are standing on a desk and actors are moving them back and forth. I don’t see any purpose of this, and it seems forced--it was also distracting to the audience. We don't need random movement, we are enthralled enough with Phoenix and Frankie singing and their chemistry alone without the jarring of the desk back and forth. I believe it was in the scene “Ironic”.
The character of Jo (Lauren Patten) is brilliantly portrayed; her version of "You Outta Know" continues to be standing ovation worthy. She is exceptional -- her movements, her voice, her control of the audience. We can't keep our eyes off of her. She continues to explode on stage in this song and we love every second.
In the A.R.T. production, we had a better understanding of the character of Andrew (Logan Hart); he visited Nick's (Derek Klena) home, he had more scenes which allowed us to get to know him better--and we were really able to see him as an influencer and an accused rapist. In this version, Andrew is pushed more aside as a character and perhaps that was done because the focus was not to be on him (the "villain") but on the survivors. In the Broadway version, Bella (Katheryn Gallagher) visits Nick's home to try and speak to Nick, to find out what he heard/saw the night of the party. This scene seemed forced, where the audience sees the mother Mary Jane (Elizabeth Stanley) interact with Bella. Considering Bella didn't seem to have much of a connection with the mother, I found it odd that she would open up to her so freely, and that Mary Jane (MJ) would just give her advice (to "move on", and "this soon will pass"). I also thought the mother would be much more uncomfortable with Bella (perhaps almost angry with her), as she was still blaming her for her "actions" the night of the party. Yet MJ was not angry, just a cold/flat in affect, and also starting to go through drug withdrawal. In the Broadway version, there is more connections of MJ as being a sexual assault survivor than at the A.R.T., such as her being on the bed (in the powerful scene and musical number by Bella and company "Predator").
In the A.R.T. version, there was a scene when Mary Jane closes the panels (perhaps it was in the Church scene, "Forgiven"), and before she does, she looks out to the audience with her big beautiful eyes -- it was a such a powerful visual. This was taken out of the Broadway version. While a subtle moment, it was powerful.
Good decision to get rid of the awkward cello in the "Perfect" scene with Nick--and the long scene of him in his bedroom singing "Perfect", with his trophy visuals on the panels. This Broadway scene is much smoother and more profound now, and it transitions well to him attending the infamous party.
When Bella is approached by Jo and Frankie about what happened at the party, the A.R.T. version had Bella in a depressed state in her bedroom. It was eerie and Bella was clearly in disbelieve/numb about what happened to her. I recall it took Frankie and Jo some time to get Bella to reveal the truth of the night, as initially, Bella had acted as though it wasn't a big deal, and what did happen was her fault--she's just in bed and "bummed out". Slowly at the A.R.T. version, we start hearing the truth come out. This was powerful. The visuals of the "creepy" dolls projected on the panels added to the innocence of a person being taken away, in just one night from a perpetrator. Yet in the Broadway version, dolls are mentioned, but no visuals are displayed. Bella is not in bed, she sitting on a couch (under a blanket), and she seems to explain in a more matter of fact/serious tone to Jo and Frankie what happened without a lot of prodding. It didn't seem as though Frankie and Jo knew Bella well, yet Bella had no problem telling them what happened--and she opened up freely in the Broadway version. I found this to be too easy of a reveal. At the A.R.T. version, it felt like they were better friends, so it made sense for Bella to tell them what happened in great detail, with great emotion.
"Smiling" and "Uninvited" continue to be extremely strong scenes, where the audience does not move/breathe as we follow every move of Mary Jane and the actors, whether going back in time/backwards, or seeing Mary Jane go through an episode with her demon spirits/younger self. Extremely powerful and it stayed true to the A.R.T. brilliant version.
In the scene where Mary Jane is looking to get more drugs from her dealer, at the A.R.T., it transitions quickly to a darken alley, so right away, the audience knows something is going to happen/something bad may happen. In the Broadway version, it still seems somewhat light and cheery out, despite her being behind buildings. The audience laughs a bit because they aren't sure what is going on with her wanting to hear from "him". They soon realize that this is no joke.
Loved how the company plays such a multitude of characters with so many costume changes; it is a thrill to watch them transform as an audience member--from snobby Moms at the Barista shop, to kids in a classroom. The company in general all "fit the part" -- every actor had its own personality and keeping everyone in the company around the same age range seems important for this show.
Let it be noted the Phoenix does an excellent job with his facial expressions in scenes, especially in the Ironic scene, where you can see him really listening to Frankie's poem and appreciating her messages; you can imagine what he is thinking and this is just through his facial expressions. His singing voice is exceptional, and his acting is real and raw; consistent and strong. Also, Mary Jane and Steve show great chemistry and genuine love for each other (and anger/frustration too!), it is highly believable they are a struggling couple and we are routing for them. Exceptional performances by all the actors, just a tremendous show that should not be missed!
