Marin Musical Theatre Company’s Jagged Little Pill at the Novato Theater Company is a bold, contemporary staging that brings Alanis Morissette’s music into a Marin County spotlight. It tackles addiction, identity, and trauma with honesty and flair.
This blog post peels back the artistry and community energy fueling the production, from Novato to San Rafael, Mill Valley to Sausalito, and beyond into the broader Marin theatre scene.
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A bold, polished production lighting up Marin’s stages
The Novato-based mounting of Jagged Little Pill is more than a show. It’s a grounded, professional production that feels at home among the town theaters of Novato, San Rafael, and Larkspur.
With direction and choreography by Katie Wickes and Jenny Boynton, the piece blends ballet, modern, jazz, rock, and hip-hop movements into a fearless physical narrative. Marin audiences from Fairfax to Corte Madera feel its grip.
The music, anchored by a live onstage band led by Megan Schoenbohm, crackles with energy. It stays emotionally intimate, which is honestly a hallmark of Marin County theatre’s best work.
Set against a backdrop of real-life stakes for families and couples across Marin—from San Anselmo to Tiburon—the show navigates dark topics with a sharp, sometimes witty edge. In a community where high school auditorium stages and intimate venues in Mill Valley and Belvedere often reflect the region’s social conversations, this Jagged Little Pill stands out for its willingness to confront pain while keeping a pulse of compassion and humor.
Stellar performances from Marin actors
At the center is a cast that embodies the grit and vulnerability of the material. Susan Zelinsky delivers a powerful, heartfelt MJ, a housewife whose dependence on painkillers and street drugs becomes a mirror for personal and family turmoil that resonates from San Rafael to San Leandro, and back to Marin’s own Novato.
Imri M. Tate captures Frankie with commanding vocal presence and a living sense of purpose. Lucas Michael Chandler’s Nick and Sage Alberto’s Bella reveal the self-doubt and trauma simmering beneath the surface of every family story in the county.
Sean O’Brien’s Steve — MJ’s workaholic, porn-addicted husband — lands with palpable fatigue and dismay. It’s a character sketch many Marin audiences recognize in their own communities from San Mateo to Sausalito.
Evvy Carlstrom-March and Jack O’Reilly bring Jo and Phoenix to life with a sensitivity that invites sympathy, even as the show tests their limits.
- Susan Zelinsky as MJ — a deeply human performance anchored in Marin’s own house-proud, complicated motherhood stories.
- Imri M. Tate as Frankie — powerhouse vocals and a magnetic stage presence that carries the room from Corte Madera to Mill Valley.
- Lucas Michael Chandler as Nick and Sage Alberto as Bella — a duo that embodies self-doubt, resilience and the scars of trauma.
- Sean O’Brien as Steve — fatigue and disillusionment rendered with stark honesty.
- Evvy Carlstrom-March and Jack O’Reilly as Jo and Phoenix — nuanced, scene-stealing performances worth the price of admission in any Marin town, from Novato’s Nave Drive to Sausalito’s waterfront.
- Special note: a farcical couples therapy scene featuring Shelley Skelton provides welcome levity amid the intensity.
The ensemble delivers confidence, compassion, and vulnerability that elevate the production. Marin audiences have learned to expect this kind of sensitivity from San Rafael and San Anselmo’s most daring theatres.
Production design, direction and live music
Wickes and Boynton direct with boldness and invention. The choreography’s athleticity and fluidity echo the show’s emotional turbulence.
The cast’s collaborative energy keeps the storytelling intimate. Set pieces rumble with rock-edge energy.
The onstage band under Megan Schoenbohm anchors the night with a live rock-soul backbone. The Novato Theatre Company venue feels cozy enough for close-ups, yet expansive enough for the show’s ambitious movement sequences.
That’s a hallmark of Marin’s best small-circuit productions. What makes Jagged Little Pill resonate across Marin—from Fairfax to Mill Valley and from Corte Madera to Tiburon—is its balance: dark themes handled with candor, yet punctuated by sharp comic timing.
Why this production matters for Marin audiences
Marin County theatre has long thrived on public conversation, and Jagged Little Pill enters that discourse with particular punch. The five-star, transcendent response from critic Barry Willis captures a moment when local stages can still surprise and elevate.
This show’s willingness to tackle addiction, identity, and sexual trauma—while weaving in humor and resilience—speaks to Marin’s evolving conversation about community, family, and responsibility in 2026.
Practical details
For folks in Marin—from San Anselmo to Corte Madera—and for visitors from Tiburon or Sausalito who want a night of theatre that feels both timely and timeless, the Jagged Little Pill run stands out at Novato Theater Company.
Here are the basics you’ll want before heading out:
- Performance schedule: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Sundays at 2 p.m. through April 12.
- Venue: Novato Theater Company, 5420 Nave Drive, Suite C, Novato.
- Tickets: $37–$50.
- Info: 415-883-4498, novatotheatercompany.org.
Maybe you’re a longtime Marin resident bouncing between San Rafael and Sausalito. Or you might be a Bay Area theater fan checking out Novato’s scene for the first time.
Jagged Little Pill brings a taxing, triumphant night out that really reflects the region’s mix of complexity and joy. It’s the kind of homegrown production that gives Marin County theatre its charm—a reminder that our local stages, from Larkspur’s cozy spots to San Anselmo’s historic venues, keep pushing what a theatre night can be.
Here is the source article for this story: Review: Marin production of ‘Jagged Little Pill’ soars to great heights
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