Interview: Justin Scott Brown of JAGGED LITTLE PILL - Coming to Ottawa's National Arts Centre Next Week

Broadway Across Canada is bringing the highly anticipated, Tony Award-winning Jagged Little Pill to Ottawa next week. The musical incorporates songs from Ottawa’s own Alanis Morissette’s 1995 hit album of the same name. Jagged Little Pill differs from most jukebox musicals in that it is not a biopic but, rather, has a fictional story woven around the songs.

Jagged Little Pill tells the story of the Healy Family, who are, individually and collectively, going through a tough time. Mary Jane (MJ) is recovering after being in a car accident but has become addicted to painkillers; her husband Steve suffers from a different type of addiction. Meanwhile, their two children, Frankie and Nick, are on journeys of self-discovery amidst pressure to conform to their parents’ visions for them. A rollercoaster ride of events unfolds during the show, resulting in heartbreak, realization, and healing.

I had the opportunity to chat with Justin Scott Brown about the show and his roles in the ensemble and as the understudy for Steve.

What do you like most about being in the ensemble?

The camaraderie of the ensemble; especially in this show where we are almost like a Greek chorus. They call us “The Conscience” and it is almost like we are one living, breathing organism. I also like that there is a lot of give and take between the actors in the ensemble.

Do you have a daily regimen that you do to prepare yourself on show nights, mentally and/or physically?

Sometimes it can be challenging on tour because there is only so much that we can control leading up to the show, like where to get food and those sorts of things. But I try to eat early enough that I have time to digest, and I try to do physical and vocal warm-ups before the show, but nothing too superstitious (laughs)!

I understand that you are also covering the role of Steve – can you tell me a little bit about that role?

Steve is the father of the Healy family, and he deals with his own form of addiction, which is a porn addiction that mirrors MJ’s pill addiction. The big struggle for Steve is trying to keep the family together and keep his marriage alive. There is a great scene in the second act where they are in therapy and calling out each other’s addictions and blaming each other for everything. But in playing the role, he gets a good amount of comedic stuff, and he sings “Mary Jane” in the second half which is a beautiful song that I really enjoy singing.

Jagged Little Pill's book deals with a bunch of tough issues, including substance abuse, and sexual assault. How does the show balance telling difficult stories while ensuring that audiences don’t get too overwhelmed and can still leave feeling like they were entertained?

Yeah, it definitely challenges the audience to a certain extent. Because the show tackles so many different issues, I think that different parts can be more challenging based on your own life experiences. For me, one of the subjects in the show that I think sometimes gets overlooked because of some of the more obvious, glaring, issues is the adoption story. Frankie is a transracial adoptee (a black child in a white household growing up in a white environment) and my siblings are both transracial adoptees and we grew up in a similar environment – in Connecticut actually, which is a kind of weird mirroring of the story! But I really take away that aspect of the story when I watch the show; and it brings awareness of what it means for transracial adoptees, who are often told to just be grateful and can have their experiences undermined.

We all have different ways that we can connect to the story, either from our own lives or through people that we know – whether that is addiction, sexual abuse, or other traumas. I think the show does a good job of normalizing it in the sense of that these things happen and it’s part of life. Like with the adoption story, Frankie feels like she was robbed of her heritage and her culture and that she was taken away from her birth family. But, at the same time, she can still love her adoptive family. A lot of times we want things to be one or the other, but it can be both.

Do you have a favourite moment during the show?

I love the overture/opening because it starts with very high energy and pulls the audience in right away. With Steve, I love the song “Mary Jane” and I also love the therapy scene. Watching the show, “You Oughta Know” is pretty classic and it gets the audience going crazy; it’s like a total rock concert moment!

Were you an Alanis Morissette fan in general before this or did you get into her music when you became involved with the show?

Yeah, you know, I’m actually old enough to know her stuff. Some of the younger kids didn’t really know who she was (laughs).

Yeah, I’m old enough to remember when she was just known as Alanis (laughs)!

It’s funny; I feel like there was this window of, like, maybe twenty years where people were very aware of her. Like my parents’ generation kind of missed it and the younger generation missed it. But, you know, the music pulls people in, even for those who don’t know every song. And the show is not about Alanis; sometimes people need clarification on that because they expect that it’s going to be a musical about her life, like with Carole King in Beautiful, but it’s just a story written around the album. And the fact that it’s just one from album is so impressive; it goes to show how rich the album is and how much depth it has. The audience response is always positive, but it will be interesting to see the reaction in Ottawa, where people will really know her music.

What message do you want audiences to take away after seeing the show?

It’s interesting because there are two avenues into this show: you have people who go to see it just because of Alanis Morissette’s music and then you have those who are more drawn to it through the storyline.

The story is very ambitious because it takes on so much and I think people take away unique things from the show. Obviously for me, the adoptee story is very powerful because it mimics my family in a way. But the show leaves people with the realization that everyone has issues, that none of us are perfect and that we all have to deal with it, but that it’s okay. Despite our issues, we can still love each other and be a happy family.

You can see Justin Scott Brown either in the ensemble or in the role of Steve depending which night you attend the show. Broadway Across Canada’s presentation of Jagged Little Pill will be at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre from May 30th through June 4th. Click here for more information or to get tickets.

* Note this interview has been edited for length and conciseness.