Monday 3 July 2017

Jagged Little Dramaturgy: Alison Avron @ Edfringe 2017


Jagged Little Singalong comes to Edinburgh Fringe
The Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill Tribute Show



It's the tribute show you never knew you needed: Alanis Morrisette's 90s classic, Jagged Little Pill, performed in its entirety, from "You Oughta Know" to "Ironic" and back again for your nostalgic pleasure.


Dates: Friday 11 August & Saturday 12 August
Time: 9:45pm (60 mins)
Cost: £11-12
Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot - Wine Bar

Equal parts silly and fun, for two nights only, expect an evening of angsty shouty singalong, musical reinventions, and one or two earnest covers of the alternative album that smashed the charts across the world in 1995. 

The ridiculously fun show features musicians Tom Dickins, Alison Avron, Maeve Marsden and Libby Wood, bringing you 90s fashions and teenage angst in a pun-filled production sung with love, but also a healthy amount of irony. 

What was the inspiration for this performance?
Jagged Little Singalong started from a Facebook post 2 years ago after I realised it was 20 years since Alanis Morissette had released "Jagged Little Pill". I put a call out to see if anyone would want to come and sing the album from start to finish at my music venue, The Newsagency in Sydney Australia.

Turns out many artists did, including the other singers in the show, Maeve Marsden, Libby Wood & Tom Dickins - as well as a bunch of people who weren't artists but just wanted to come along to singalong to one of their favourite 90's albums.

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?
I absolutely think performance is still a good - if not the best - way for public discussion of ideas. I wouldn't say Jagged Little Singalong covers any groundbreaking discussions of ideas. 

However, Alanis Morissette certainly evoked a lot of discussion about feminism and woman standing up for themselves when this album first came out. We talk about that a bit during the show - and also poke fun at her and ourselves for being so angsty in the 90s.

How did you become interested in making performance?
I have always been around music since I was little. I was always part of the drama and musical theatre productions. It's always been something I've been interested in doing. I genuinely can't imagine my life without it.

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?
We've all tried to approach this show with as much fun as possible - after all - it's a singalong of one of our favourite albums! We've divided all of the songs up fairly evenly and each singer puts their own take on the Alanis songs, without making them unrecognisable.

Does the show fit with your usual productions?
The show is pretty different to our usual productions.

Maeve & Libby are in a show called "Mother's Ruin: A Cabaret about Gin" (which is on in Edinburgh for the whole month) - definitely check it out!). When they're in Australia they also make up part of a group called "Lady Sings it Better"  a 4 part all-female cabaret group who arrange songs originally performed by men.

Maeve also hosts a regular night called "Queer Stories" the name of which speaks for itself. It's a dedicated showcase of many different Australian queer performers and storytellers.

Tom Dickins is an incredible songwriter who has written for and performed with Amanda Palmer (The Dresden Dolls). He also helps to run renowned Melbourne cabaret venue, The Butterfly Club.

As I mentioned before, I own an independent music venue in Sydney called The Newsagency which is dedicated to presenting original music and performance. I am also a piano player and songwriter and have recently released an album of original material called "Tiny Little Universe."

Having said this, as a result of the success of Jagged Little Singalong, Maeve, Libby and myself have now gone on to produce another "singalong" type show for SPICE by the Spice Girls and Tom has one for the Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet soundtrack. Both of which are scheduled to happen again in various cities around Australia in the not too distant future.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?
A whole heap of fun, nostalgia and a really good bunch of singers and musicians. Audiences are encouraged to drink, sing, cry, shout and laugh along for the entire album.



This show is resonating with audiences across Australia and sells out everywhere it’s performed. 

Edinburgh audiences are encouraged to bring their A-game angsty shout-sing voices to celebrate the 21st birthday of (arguably) the best album of the 90s. 

It's crap but it's brilliant • It's great but it's really not • It's old but it's golden, yeah! • And what it all comes down to • Is an album that hasn't really had a tribute yet… 

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