‘Illinoise’, a dance musical by Sufjan Stevens, moves to Broadway
“Illinoise,” a dance-driven, dialogue-free musical adapted from a beloved 2005 album by Sufjan Stevens, will move to Broadway next month.
The show, a collaboration between acclaimed choreographer Justin Peck and Pulitzer-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, opens April 24 at the St. James Theater; the run will be limited, with a planned closing date of August 10.
“Illinoise” features a group of young creative people gathering around a campfire to share stories about their lives; it ultimately focuses on the life of a man finding his way while facing grief. “A lot of the show is really about the catharsis of opening up to the community around yourself,” Peck, who directs and choreographs the show, said in an interview.
“Illinoise” joins a busy spring season on Broadway, which has seen a heavy concentration of openings in late April, posing significant economic challenges for producers as costs have risen and viewership has fallen since the coronavirus pandemic.
But the creators and financiers of “Illinoise” want to capitalize on their show’s momentum: It’s just wrapping up a sold-out edition at the Park Avenue armory in Manhattan, and also had successful runs earlier this year at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and last year at Bard College’s Fisher Center.
The handover will be unusually quick, with just 29 days between the end of the run at the Armory and the start of the run at the St. James. There is a short rehearsal period, but no previews; the first performance will also be the opening, which is unusual for Broadway.
“We have this kind of lightning in a bottle with this show, something that you can’t create intentionally,” Peck said. “We want to maintain the energy of the show, and the longer we wait between stages of this, the more we risk losing that energy.”
“Illinoise” is performed by a dozen acting dancers and a trio of vocalists, along with a live band.
The show’s use of dance to tell a story is not unprecedented: The history of such so-called dansicals includes the Tony-winning “Contact,” which premiered in 2000, as well as the 2002 production that most influenced Peck , “Movin’ Out,” which Twyla Tharp choreographed to the songs of Billy Joel.
“The music, the story and the movement come together in your own mind, rather than being combined in front of you on stage,” Drury said in an interview. “And there’s something about that that feels really beautiful and exciting. It ensures that the audience can really empathize and connect emotionally with what is happening on stage.”
The Broadway run is produced by Orin Wolf, John Styles and David Binder, in association with Seaview.