Every indie music lover remembers listening to Sufjan Stevens’ seminal concept album Illinois for the first time. Even if you’ve never heard of the album, chances are you know someone who rates it among their favorites. Maybe you even have a particular lyric or melody that’s still lodged in your brain all these years later: the “all things go / all things go†chorus of “Chicagoâ€, the full seven-minute spectacle of “Come On! Feel the Illinoise!â€, or the quiet, devastating acoustics of “Casimir Pulaski Dayâ€. The 2005 album imprinted itself on a generation of indie teens and twenty-somethings with its groundbreaking sounds, layered orchestrations, and wistful, narrative lyrics that evoke a sense of place in Illinois and reference a wide array of the state’s historical figures, events, and cultural touchstones.
Now, the album has been reinvented for the stage: as a dance musical, Illinoise, arriving on Broadway for a strictly limited engagement that’s set to be the most sought-after ticket you can get your hands on this season. Illinoise has already sold out two runs earlier this year (at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Off-Broadway at the Park Avenue Armory), amassing audience raves, critical buzz, and even a mention in the highbrow/brilliant section of this magazine’s Approval Matrix.
In the genre-defying production, the songs of Illinois are brought to life in a highly theatrical, deeply moving experience. The book, written by Tony winner Justin Peck and Pulitzer Prize winner Jackie Sibblies Drury, is told through dance: A cast of 12 performers take the stage beneath a trio of singers who perform the album live. It’s a loose and emotional coming-of-age tale with an anthology structure, set in various locations in (of course) Illinois. The show is also directed and choreographed by Peck, a choreographer with the New York City Ballet who has also worked on several feature films.
When you’re listening to a new (or new-to-you) album, you never know exactly if or how it will change your life — that’s why we’re always trying to relive that feeling of listening to your now-favorite song for the first time. Time travel isn’t possible, of course, but the experience of watching Illinoise on stage gets close to that feeling: Though the album came out nearly 20 years ago, the music of Illinois feels new, fresh, like you’re hearing it for the first time, again. The highly-anticipated Broadway run opens at the St. James Theater on April 24 for 16 weeks only, so grab your ticket before they’re gone.
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