'Jagged Little Pill' Will Not Reopen on Broadway Following Covid-19 Suspension

Broadway producers Vivek J. Tiwary, Arvind Ethan David, and Eva Price have announced that the Grammy and Tony Award-winning musical JAGGED LITTLE PILL, inspired by the seminal rock album of the same name by seven-time Grammy Award winner Alanis Morissette, will not reopen from its recent suspension of performances due to positive COVID-19 cases detected within the company. All tickets for canceled performances will be refunded at the original point of purchase.

A statement from producers Vivek J. Tiwary, Arvind Ethan David and Eva Price:

We are so proud of this extraordinary show, and this extraordinary company, who every night in difficult circumstances, have told the Jagged Little Pill story. This show about healing, human connection, and catharsis, has been a salve to audiences, and to all of us, throughout these trying times.

Yet, the drastic turn of events this week with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant has, once again, changed everything. We are dismayed by what appears to be another substantial public health crisis, and – due to the detection of multiple positive Covid-19 cases within the company – need to prioritize the health and safety of the cast, crew, and entire team working on Jagged Little Pill. In light of the extreme uncertainty ahead of us this winter, and forced to choose between continuing performances and protecting our company, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our doors.

We know that the Jagged Little Pill story will continue to be told – and in the new year, will be announcing plans for subsequent productions, building on the show’s triumphant launch in Australia earlier this month. We also hope and intend to find a way to bring this vibrant and vitalizing musical back to the Broadway stage, once the current crisis is past, but at this time we are in the unfortunate position to determine Friday, December 17, 2021 as the final Broadway performance of Jagged Little Pill.

There is nothing in the world like live theater. There is no community in the world like this great Broadway family of artists and audiences. We will make it through this, together.

Directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (she/her; Waitress, Pippin), JAGGED LITTLE PILL is an “electrifying, visceral and stunning” (The Hollywood Reporter) new musical with an original story by Tony and Academy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody (she/her; Juno, Tully), about a perfectly imperfect American family who finds strength in one another when a troubling event shakes their community. Nominated for a season-record of 15 Tony Awards following its Broadway premiere, The New York Times declared the show a “Critic’s Pick!”, describing the musical as “redemptive, rousing and real…Jagged Little Pill stands alongside the original musicals that have sustained the best hopes of Broadway.”

Ignited by the groundbreaking music and lyrics of Alanis Morissette (she/her) – from beloved hits such as “You Oughta Know,” “Head Over Feet,” “Hand In My Pocket,” and “Ironic”, to brand new songs written expressly for the show – JAGGED LITTLE PILL features explosive choreography by Tony Award nominee and frequent Beyoncé collaborator Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (he/him; “Apesh*t”, “Love Drought/Sandcastles” Live at The Grammys), and the raw power of an onstage band under the Musical Supervision, Orchestrations & Arrangements of Grammy, Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Kitt (he/him; Next to Normal, American Idiot).

JAGGED LITTLE PILL opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre (235 W 44th St., NYC) on Thursday, December 5, 2019 following its record-breaking, sold-out world premiere at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) in Cambridge, MA. That pre-Broadway world premiere production ran for 79 sold-out performances, from May 5–July 15, 2018, marking the longest-running and highest-grossing production in A.R.T.’s history. In 2019, Atlantic Records partnered with the Broadway for the release of its Original Broadway Cast Recording, adding the production to the label’s elite roster of Grammy Award-winning artists and cast albums. The cast album for JAGGED LITTLE PILL was officially released on December 6, 2019 – the day after the show’s opening night on Broadway – and won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. In the fall of 2020, the musical garnered a season-leading 15 Tony Nominations – including Best Musical – and Grand Central Publishing released a hardcover coffee table book following the journey of Jagged Little Pill to Broadway, with behind-the-scenes photos and stories from Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, the cast and more. In 2021, following the show’s big Grammy Award win, JAGGED LITTLE PILL also won Tony Awards for Best Book of A Musical (Diablo Cody) and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Lauren Patten), and marked its international premiere with an Australian production at Theatre Royal Sydney. In 2022, Abrams Books will publish Jagged Little Pill: The Novel, a young adult novel inspired by the Broadway musical, written by Eric Smith, Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard.

The Broadway production of Jagged Little Pill stars Tony Award nominee Elizabeth Stanley (she/her) and Grammy Award nominee Heidi Blickenstaff (she/her), who share the leading role of Mary Jane Healy, alongside newcomer Morgan Dudley (she/they) making their Broadway debut as Frankie Healy, newly-minted Tony Award winner Lauren Patten (she/her) as Jo, and Tony-nominated original stars Derek Klena (he/him) as Nick Healy, Sean Allan Krill (he/him) as Steve Healy, and Kathryn Gallagher (she/her) as Bella.

The musical’s dynamic ensemble cast features Annelise Baker (she/her), Yeman Brown (he/they), Jane Bruce (she/her), Runako Campbell (she/her), John Cardoza (he/him), Ken Wulf Clark (he/him), Janine DiVita (she/her), Logan Hart (he/him), Zach Hess (he/him), Max Kumangai (he/him), Heather Lang (she/her), Kelsey Orem (she/her), Veronica Otim (she/her), Wren Rivera (they/them), Adi Roy (he/him) as Phoenix, Grace Slear (they/them), DeAnne Stewart (she/her), and Kei Tsuruharatani (they/them). Production Stage Management is by Ira Mont (he/him; The Producers).

The JAGGED LITTLE PILL creative team includes Tony-nominated Scenic Designer Riccardo Hernandez (he/him; Parade), Tony-nominated Costume Designer Emily Rebholz (she/her; Dear Evan Hansen), Tony Award-winning Lighting Designer Justin Townsend (he/him; Moulin Rouge!), Tony-nominated Sound Designer Jonathan Deans (he/him; Waitress), and Tony-nominated Video Designer Lucy Mackinnon (she/her; Spring Awakening). Hair, Wig, and Make-up Design is provided by J. Jared Janas (he/him; Sunset Boulevard).

The live, onstage Broadway band features the show’s Music Director Bryan Perri (he/him; Conductor/Keyboard), Tia Allen (she/her; Viola), Damien Bassman (he/him; Drums and Percussion), Eric Davis (he/him; Guitars), Ada Westfall (Guitar), Kristine Kruta (Cello), Alex Nolan (she/her; Guitar), Alex Smith (Bass), Mary Jo Stilp (Concertmaster), and Jessica Wang (Cello). The Associate Music Directors are Matthew Doebler (he/him) and Emily Marshall. The Music Coordinator is Michael Aarons.

Released on June 13, 1995, the tremendous success of Alanis Morissette’s album Jagged Little Pill skyrocketed her to become the bestselling international debut artist in history; a title she still holds, with the record’s sales reaching 33 million copies worldwide. Now, 25 years after its release, Jagged Little Pill continues to be one of the Top 20 Best-Selling Albums of All Time. With ten eclectic and acclaimed albums released over the subsequent years, Morissette’s music has garnered 7 Grammy Awards (with 14 nominations), a Golden Globe nomination, and total sales of over 60 million albums.