By this point, considerable excitement has built around Illinoise, the theatrical production/dance show inspired by Sufjan Stevens’s revered album Illinois. Receiving its initial performance at Bard College in New York last spring, feedback for the show has been universally enthusiastic. Following its time at Bard, Illinoise made stops at Chicago’s Shakespeare Theater, the Park Avenue Armory, and ultimately reached Broadway, where it debuts this evening at the St. James Theatre—just in time for it to be considered for the 2024 Tony Awards.
When Stevens’s 26-song concept album was released in 2005, it quickly made a lasting impression on the generation that eagerly consumed it. A tribute to the state of Illinois, Stevens incorporates historical personalities, misfortunes, and highly specific IYKYKs into an album that rises with rich marching-band melodies and then settles with simple banjo tunes. Despite its stories tied to a specific place, the album’s broader appeal was undeniable. It provided listeners with a feeling of losing oneself only to be found once more, a sensation that resonates with everyone.
Justin Peck—both the director and choreographer of the performance and coauthor of the script with Pulitzer Prize–winning dramatist Jackie Sibblies Drury—was roughly 17 when he first heard the album, and from then on, there was no turning back. (Inside the Illinoise program, there’s an article by Jessica Dessner, an artist, author, former dancer, and close collaborator of Stevens who recalls a message on Facebook she got from Peck over ten years ago showing his wish to connect with Stevens.) Peck’s deep admiration for Stevens has led to numerous direct partnerships at the New York City Ballet (where Peck serves as a resident choreographer), starting with a score for the ballet Year of the Rabbit in 2012.