'You Oughta Know' that Jagged Little Pill: The Musical is playing in Ottawa
The music of Ottawa's Alanis Morissette is coming to life on stage in her hometown.
Jagged Little Pill: the Musical features music 'you oughta know' and it is now on stage at the National Arts Centre, presented by Broadway Across Canada.
"To be bringing it to Ottawa, her home town, I feel so proud and I feel so excited," says Heidi Blickenstaff, who plays Mary Jane Healy in the show.
The musical is inspired by the album of the same name, but it is not a biography of Morisette.
"That was kind of the one thing Alanis was adamant about when we were building the musical, was that she did not want it to be a bio-musical of her life," says Blickenstaff. "Instead, it is a completely fictionalized story about an American family that looks perfect on the outside but actually is in total crisis in many, many different ways."
Blickenstaff's character, Mary Jane Healy, is the mother in that family.
"I think so many people can relate to what's going on with the Healy family, just because of all of the issues. I think it's almost impossible not to see yourself or someone you love reflected on stage."
Topics like opioid addiction, racism, and sexual assault feature, and the show is meant for audiences 14 and older.
"It is kind of a deep dive every night," Blickenstaff says.
Morissette dropped by the show when it was in Washington D.C. Her parents, however, made an appearance at Tuesday night's opening performance in Ottawa.
"It was amazing meeting them! I hadn't met them yet and they are just the loveliest people," says Blickenstaff.
"It's my first time in Ottawa and God, it's just so beautiful here."
Jagged Little Pill: the Musical is in Ottawa until June 4.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.