Alanis Morissette's angsty, guitar-driven anthems are getting a Columbus stage treatment as Jagged Little Pill: The Musical opens the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio's 2026-27 season this week. The production runs from Thursday through Oct. 4 at Studio One inside the Vern Riffe Center, bringing songs like “You Oughta Know,” “Hand in My Pocket” and “Ironic” to a new generation of theatergoers while wrapping them in a story about a family unraveling behind closed doors.
A Tony and Grammy Pedigree Comes to Studio One
The show arrives in Columbus carrying serious award-show credentials. According to the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio, Jagged Little Pill is billed as an electrifying Tony and Grammy Award-winning hit, and per Step Out Columbus, it was nominated for 15 Tony Awards and won two. The original Broadway cast recording also took home the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, as reported by Broadway.com.
The musical pairs Morissette's music, co-written with Glen Ballard, with a book from Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody, Step Out Columbus notes. Leda Hoffmann, the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio's producing artistic director, is directing the local production, the outlet adds. Hoffmann also joined WSYX's Good Day Columbus to talk through the show's songs ahead of opening, and the musical's cast performed “Ironic” live during that same television appearance.
The Story Behind the Songs
Unlike a straightforward jukebox musical, Jagged Little Pill builds an original narrative around Morissette's catalog. The theatre's own description follows the seemingly perfect Healy family as buried tensions erupt and hard truths come to light, according to the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio. The New York Times has described the show as based on material from Morissette's 1995 megahit album and several of its follow-ups, while the production features Morissette's existing songs alongside newly written material built specifically for the stage.
That family drama doesn't shy away from difficult territory. The Lantern reports that the production tackles topics including drug addiction, sexuality, interracial relationships, class disparity and substance abuse — themes echoed in comparable regional stagings. A Starlight production of the same musical warned audiences of mature content involving sexual assault, drug abuse, overdose and strong language, and estimated a runtime of roughly two hours and 15 minutes with one intermission. The Columbus production carries its own age guidance, with the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio recommending it for audiences 13 and older.
Casting Note and Ticket Details
There's some discrepancy in who's currently playing the show's lead. The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio's official season page lists Alexa Baker among the understudies for Mary Jane, while The Lantern identifies Sabrina Lynn Gore as the actress playing Mary Jane, the production's central character. It's unclear from available materials why the two accounts differ, and anyone looking for a definitive answer should check directly with the theatre.
For Columbus audiences hoping to catch the show without committing to full ticket prices upfront, the theatre is offering pay-what-you-want preview performances Thursday and Friday, per the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio. Opening night follows Saturday, according to BroadwayWorld. Students can also snag $20 rush tickets with a valid ID starting two hours before showtime, the theatre's ticketing page states.
Morissette's songs, first released more than three decades ago, continue to resonate with new audiences, according to WSYX's Good Day Columbus segment on the production. Other major regional and Broadway-adjacent stagings, including one at the American Repertory Theater directed by Diane Paulus with choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and music supervision by Tom Kitt, have leaned on that same combination of raw confessional songwriting and an unflinching family story to keep the show in rotation across American stages.
