It was early December of 2019 when it happened. I had just finished a vigorous level 2 vinyasa flow at my favorite NYC yoga studio. As the flow came to an end, we prepared for my favorite part of
Like millions of other people, I’m emotionally attached to the Alanis Morissette originals that came out 25 years ago. I’ve listened to Jagged Little
Early December was also when I went to Alanis’s one-night-only show at The Apollo. This was a
The day after that Alanis essay was published, Big Vision, an NYC-based non-profit that creates sober experiences for NYC folks 35 and under, announced a contest to win tickets to Jagged Little Pil on Broadway. I submitted my essay…and won!
The Show
Not only was I lucky enough to see the show with an amazing group of people behind Big Vision and fellow contest winners, but I also had the privilege of sitting in the fourth row. Jagged Little Pill - The Musical tackles several heavy topics in such a short period of time: the opioid epidemic, #meToo, racism, and sexuality just to name a few. Diablo Cody (Oscar-Winning screenwriter who wrote Juno, Young Adult, and more) did such a brilliant job of highlighting these important issues while incorporating songs from a legendary album while also keeping the audience - including this hyper skeptical Alanis fanatic - completely engaged the entire time.
The ensemble was genuinely diverse, not diverse because it’s trendy. Incredibly talented humans of all races and genders and sexualities were represented while telling a beautiful, important story. The 90’s-inspired outfits had me soaking up all of the nostalgia. I would 100% see it again just to rewatch Lauren Patten perform “You Oughta Know”. For a full review of the show, check out Jesse Green’s write up for the NY Times review here.
Talk Back
Big Vision went above and beyond to make this a night to remember. Once the show ended and the theater cleared, two of the actors (Elizabeth Stanley and Sean Allan Krill) did a Talk Back with our group. They opened up about what the show meant to them and we asked them questions in return.
Someone asked the actors how they separate themselves from playing these intense roles. Krill had a brilliant response that I’ll paraphrase: When he gets home, he goes to a lightswitch, reminds himself that he loves this job but he has to clock out. Then he physically flips the light switch. As a fellow creative who struggles with knowing when to clock out, I appreciated the symbolism. His visual went a long way with me. Stanley opened up about how addiction has impacted her life, which led to her originating such a well-rounded lead role in the musical.
I really wanted to hate this show. I’ve spent so much energy on hiding from it. It’s not that I wanted it to be something that it wasn’t, I simply didn’t even want it to be. I now understand how my mom
Tawny is an NYC-based writer, public speaker, and event producer who’s passionate about smashing stigmas associated with both sexuality and sobriety. She’s been dubbed “The Sober Sexpert” by Ruby Warrington.
Tawny’s words are published in Playboy, Huffington Post, The Temper, Audiofemme, SheSaid, Recovery Campus, WorkIt Health, and NY Yoga & Life Magazine. Tawny shared her recovery story on stages all across the world: IOGT World Congress, New York State Recovery Conference, United Federation of Teachers, and more.
In addition to writing and public speaking, she’s the founder of the Readings on Recovery™ reading series and SobrieTea Party™ and co-host of Recovery Rocks podcast with Lisa Smith. She’s also a charity volunteer with Road Recovery and an award-winning filmmaker of the recovery documentary, Fixed Up.