Yo … People Have SERIOUS Opinions About Charlotte Fashion

You Oughta Know: Jagged Little Pill Brings All the Feels

“The show’s so dark and so deep, but then, at the end is this number that brings everyone together and shows that no matter what we go through, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. There’s always hope.”

So said Dillon Klena, who plays “Nick” in the touring production of Jagged Little Pill, which is headed to the Belk Theater in Charlotte Nov. 29 through Dec. 4. Tickets are on sale now starting at $25.

When Jagged Little Pill, the third album by a then-21-year-old Canadian artist, Alanis Morissette, was released in 1995, the impact was seismic.

It rocked the music world, won five Grammy Awards and eventually sold more than 33 million copies worldwide. It’s still one of the most successful albums of all time.

Twenty-four years later, the musical version of Jagged Little Pill had a similar effect when it opened on Broadway. The show, as it happens, is as angst-y as the album. PHOTO ABOVE: Kathryn-Gallagher as Bella in the Broadway production of “Jagged-Little-Pill” | CREDIT: Matthew-Murphy

FROM GRAMMYS TO TONYS

Actually, its effects were felt before it hit Broadway in 2019. During its initial run at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2018, the audience would break into applause after You Oughta Know night after night, forcing the actors to stop the action and acknowledge the audience’s fandom. The mid-show ovations continued on Broadway.

The show – which combines tracks of the original album with other Morissette songs, direction from Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Waitress) and a script by Academy Award winner Diablo Cody (Juno) – was nominated for 15 Tony Awards in 2021.

Jagged Little Pill looks at the everyday lives of an upper-middle-class modern American family as parents and teens confront a litany of issues. Marital woes, addictions (opioids in one case, porn in another), social media pressures, sexual assault, LGBTQ issues, global warming and more – it’s all there. It can be a lot to take in at once. Then again, living in times such as these can feel like a lot.

A SHOW YOU FEEL

Jagged Little Pill taps Morissette’s songs to tell the story of the fictional Healy family and takes audiences through the gamut of emotions as they struggle with work, school, love and life. There’s joy, love, heartache, PTSD, strength, wisdom, catharsis.

To get insight into the production, we caught up with Klena, who plays the role of Nick Healy. We spoke to him just days after his 24th birthday as Jagged Little Pill was stopping in Seattle. (And, yes, he was planning to stop by the famous Pike Place Fish Market to catch a fish in the air.)

While calling it “a rollercoaster of a show,” Klena was hesitant to spoil much about its plot and themes. But he was happy to talk about his experience and how the show makes him – and he hopes the audience, too – feel.

As Klena plays Nick in the touring company, he knows he has big shoes to fill … shoes once worn by his older brother, Derek, who played Nick in the Broadway production. ENJOY OUR CONVERSATION WITH KLENA. ABOVE: Dillon Klena

This story was sponsored by Blumenthal Performing Arts. A portion of proceeds from this post will fund a HUG Micro-Grant for a local creative.

Join Up for OneBand: Holiday Edition – December 13

Charlotte Musicians, we want you to join a band … OneBand … for just two nights.

OneBand is simple: Our co-founder, Matt Olin posts a three-song setlist every other month. Anyone who wants to play those songs with him can sign up. And we mean ANYONE. Amateur musicians and professional players; newbies and veterans; hacks and savants.

For Session 3 on Dec.13, the list spans the decades again with an encore song to ring in the holidays! The setlist is:

“Dogs Days Are Over” (Florence + the Machine)
“Don’t Dream It’s Over” (Crowded House)
“The Letter” (Joe Cocker)
“Christmas In Hollis” (Run-DMC)

If you’re interested in being in the December iteration of OneBand and can make the rehearsal at JamBox Music on Dec. 7 and the performance on Dec. 13 at Divine Barrel Brewing, please sign up HERE. (We especially need some brass players — trumpet, sax, etc.)

If you want in the band … you’re in!

Earlier this week, we heard someone say that Charlotte doesn’t have a fashion community. We know we’re not NYC and that much more structure is needed, but we see talent here. We also know anything worth doing isn’t easy. So we reached out to our Instagram followers to get their read on the situation. We asked:

Is it difficult to have a clothing brand in Charlotte?
How have you tapped into Charlotte’s fashion community?
Who are some local designers that more people should know of?

Reactions were … varied and VIGOROUS. (See the original post here.)

Below are some of the answers we got. But, what do you think? What can be done? What do you need? Tell us at hello@charlotteiscreative.com.

[P.S. There may be typos below. We are giving you the raw answers.]

“All designers have different problems. I personally feel like Charlotte doesn’t have enough resources for cut and sew designers like @slicbrand and myself. Fabric stores, trims, you name it I cannot find it. I really appreciate B.G. Lieberman for offering industrial grade sewing equipment or else I would have to leave the city or shop online for all of my notions. Having a successful clothing brand in Charlotte is possible, it’s growing so fast. You just have to think outside the box!”

“10+ year fashion veteran here. Being a designer is SO MUCH MORE than runway shows and photoshoots. Finding qualified cut and sew professionals has always been my biggest challenge.”

“CHARLOTTE MUST PROVIDE NEW RESOURCES TO KEEP GROWING OR THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A CEILING IN FASHION. WE WANT TO GROW WITHIN CHARLOTTE OR IT WILL FORCES THE DESIGNERS TO LEAVE. WITH LOVE.”

“Charlotte just isn’t very creative friendly at all in any lane, especially fashion & music.. if you aren’t one of the select few that gets recognized it’s hard not to look elsewhere for community.

“Charlotte has a huge underground culture that’s bubbling with talent but It most times goes ignored by the city.”

“Being a designer is not difficult in Charlotte it’s just difficult no matter where you live. It’s expensive and time-consuming. But if you’re like me it’s part of my life and I’ve made Charlotte a home where my art can live bc I used the lack of resources as a challenge which in turn made my work even better. ❤️”

“I had no idea Charlotte had a fashion scene until I started to shoot at NYFW. I overheard someone mention it and I googled. It led me to @charlotteseen and @ritamiles and @robmdrob. I have met some amazing designers and models.”

“We have Charlotte Designers that are known globally and work with Hollywood legends on a regular basis, they are just not the designers the mass of Charlotte want to support and get behind.”

“There are many knitting and crochet designers in our area. It is important to note that fashion means different things to different people. It doesn’t have solely the looks gliding down runways at fashion week events. The yarn and fiber community has quite a few designers who are very well respected in the yarn, knitting and crochet community.”

“I’ve walked for several fashion shows and designers (nearly a dozen) in the last year. Charlotte’s fashion community is growing. These are some of the creatives and changemankers.”

“Anybody can outsource (especially if you have the money. No offense to those of you who do that) but it’s people out here (in Charlotte. Born & raised) who are really designing, sewing, draping and making their own shit!”

The Biscuit is proudly sponsored by: