The cast of Tesseract Theatre Company’s Jagged Little Pill
Tesseract Theatre Company has settled into the Marcelle Theater (3310 Samuel Shepard Dr.) with a production that feels tailor-made for the venue. If you caught New Line Theatre’s performance of We Will Rock You there last month, you know that the Marcelle is the go-to spot for “pocket-sized” rock operas with live bands. Jagged Little Pill takes that format and runs with it, using a string-inclusive rock chamber band to create an intimate experience based on Alanis Morissette’s catalog.
I was a toddler for most of the early to mid-’90s, so I discovered Morissette later in life as I went through a retro ’90s phase in college. It is a cliché to brand her as the “queen of teen girl angst,” but that label feels more like a marketing gimmick than an accurate reflection of the music. The songwriting is remarkably confessional, but it’s the emotional intelligence that really lands. When listening to these tracks, it feels like she is singing directly to you, acknowledging that you are weird, anxious, and self-contradictory—and ultimately reassuring you that everything is gonna be fine, fine, fine.
The universality of her songwriting makes it perfectly suited for the stage. Jagged Little Pill the musical is not a biography, but it does touch on events and themes from Morissette‘s own life. Morissette was one of the first high-profile stars of the ’90s to be outspoken about her experiences with sexual abuse, even exploring it through her songwriting. While the character Mary Jane’s harrowing struggle with opioid addiction is a narrative choice, I wondered if Morissette or her friends might have shouldered that weight themselves—there is a raw, lived-in quality to the show’s portrayal of trauma that feels like it’s pulling from somewhere very real. Written by Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody, the show uses Morissette’s iconic debut album—plus songs from her wider catalog and two new compositions, “Smiling” and “Predator”—to explore complex interpersonal dynamics.
The story follows the Healy family: Mary Jane (Lorenzo Goudreau), a mother trying to maintain a perfect suburban image; her detached husband Steve (Kevin O’Brien); Ivy League-bound son Nick (Stephen Henley); and daughter Frankie (Kinya Kairigi). The stage design cleverly uses rolling set pieces to transform the Marcelle’s limited space from a classroom to a pharmacy, or into a kitchen backdrop ready for filtered family photos.
The tension heightens as Frankie navigates her identity and sexuality. She finds herself in a complex “situationship” with her gay best friend, Jo (Milo Garlich), who feels confused, jolted, and jealous when Frankie begins a new relationship with Phoenix (Jabari Boykin), a sensitive boy she meets in creative writing class.
The integration of the music is consistently sharp. In one standout scene, Frankie performs “Ironic” in a writing workshop, only for her classmates to pick it apart—noting that a black fly in your Chardonnay or rain on your wedding day are actually just bad coincidences, not ironic. Later, Jo’s fiery rendition of “You Oughta Know” gives that classic track a completely different context, turning a breakup anthem into a raw, compassionate confrontation.
The ensemble, rounded out by Lauren Tenenbaum as Bella, handles the heavy subject matter—addiction, exploitation, and the struggle to develop a social consciousness—with commendable commitment. The production values are professional, and the coziness of the Marcelle makes the show feel immediate rather than distant.
Starting at $25 and $30, the tickets are surprisingly affordable—but act fast, seating is limited and shows sell out fast. If you are looking to catch Tesseract before the run closes on July 26, it’s worth the trip. As we soldier on through the blazing heat and humidity of a St. Louis July, you oughta know this: the Marcelle is a cool place to get physically comfortable—and perhaps a little emotionally uncomfortable—as you enjoy a story set to some of the 90s’ most iconic female power jams. | Rob Von Nordheim
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit tesseracttheatreco.org.
