The lack of permission, the loss of power, the guilt that’s lingered ever since. It’s an out-of-body experience, as both characters watch themselves (via contemporary dancers) confronting the horrors that happened to them. Most hauntingly, “Uninvited” - the acclaimed track released with 1998’s romantic-fantasy film “City of Angels” - is a unified cry of self-defense by Bella and Mary Jane. “This song poured out from thoughts I’ve had on and off over the years, even though it really should be, ‘You were assaulted and you don’t have to blame yourself.’” “It’s about that feeling after you’ve been assaulted, and you think, ‘What is it about me that was a magnet to this person? God, what could I have done differently?’” Morissette said.
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“Forgiven,” full of convicting chants and organ chords, is Mary Jane’s unsettling plea for mercy despite her victim-blaming tendencies.Ī Greek chorus often hovers and recites lines from “Hands Clean” - a song for which Morissette has said she was “vilified and shamed and victimized and victim-attacked.” Reclaiming that track in particular, Morissette said, “feels great.”Ī new song, “Predator,” returns the audience to that ill-fated night. “Wake Up,” with its frenetic string phrasing, becomes a divisive family argument about whether Nick should support Bella. The musical conducts an authentic conversation about the complex topic, not only through Cody’s insightful book, based on research and interviews with survivors, but also because Morissette has written unambiguous lyrics about sexual assault for decades - sentiments further emphasized by Tom Kitt’s visceral arrangements. “Like so many people, it’s something she’s pushed down and told, ‘It’s your fault, you should feel ashamed.’” “When you learn more about her, you understand she’s really acting from a place of pain,” she said. It’s a shame but it happens all the time.”Įlizabeth Stanley, who plays Mary Jane, wants viewers to understand her character’s harsh words. “A girl got drunk and someone took advantage of her. If someone drinks themselves into oblivion, these things can happen,” Mary Jane tells Frankie, to audience gasps. “You can’t just go calling the police because a girl got drunk and there’s some he-said-she-said.
Might Bella simply do the same, as not to jeopardize her model son’s Harvard plans or her family’s picture-perfect facade?
Matriarch Mary Jane prefers to keep the truth swept under the rug, as she’s done with a similar incident in her own past. How do you make a sex scene sexy? (And keep the actors safe?) Five intimacy coordinators explain their craftįor actors, filming sex scenes can be a job requirement - and an uncomfortable one. I will be able to support this ongoing conversation in whatever form it shows up.’ Doing this wasn’t daunting to me.” I’ve had this experience in my past, and I’m not afraid of talking about it. “There was some apprehension to talk about sexual abuse and assault in the show, and my initial thought was, ‘Why would we avoid this?’” Morissette said. And the Canadian native has spoken about a previous relationship with an exploitative older music executive. Her lyrics offer straightforward examinations of tough subjects like trauma, depression and suicide - an approach that has earned her seven Grammy Awards. “I’m aware that we’re taking some risks,” said Diablo Cody, book writer of “Jagged Little Pill.” “People who come to Broadway are looking for a fun night at the theater, and this is heavy stuff.”īut Morissette’s signature songwriting style is thoughtful, unapologetic honesty, paired with a dose of hope. This is especially true of jukebox musicals, a sub-genre usually stuffed with dance numbers and upbeat medleys of memorable hits. It is rare, some would say unprecedented, for the plot of a Broadway musical to be rooted so deeply in the subject ( well, in a way that takes it seriously).