Illinoise

[vipa]

I went to see the musical Illinoise at the Armory. Directed and Choreographed by Justin Peck. Music Sufjan Stevens (Illinois).  I'll start by saying I'm not a fan of the Peck ballets to Sufjan Stevens music, and in general I'm lukewarm to his choreography. I hear the word, "community" a lot when his works or approach are described but I never saw or felt it in what I was viewing. I always found  the choreography too busy and almost willfully inorganic. This is different. I loved it. It is a musical, but there is no spoken word, all music, songs and dance. The musicians and singers are visible, above and to the sides of the stage. The main conceit is a gathering around a campfire, in which individuals step out eagerly, or reluctantly to tell their story. The dancers are wonderful. The movement musical, organic, and revealing of character. It is a heart-on-your-sleeve work that is ultimately joyful. I could quibble about this or that, but the piece makes me not want to do that.

Edited March 8 by vipa

[abatt]

Thanks for the review.  I have  a ticket next week.  I too am often lukewarm about Peck and Stevens.   I actually tend to like Peck more outside of NYCB. (for example, I enjoyed Buena Vista Social Club at the Atlantic Theater which he choreographed with his wife).

[dirac]

I feel much as the two of you do but I'm sorry not to see this. Please tell us what you think after you see it, abatt.

I really liked the little pas de deux he made for Delgado and himself to The National's "Dark Side of the Gym."

 

[abatt]

I was surprised that I did like the music very much.  I have never listened to Stevens music except in Justin Peck's work.  The live band and singers were terrific.  But the choreography was typical Justin Peck but less virtuosic, with an unconvincing story tacked on.  I felt no connection to these characters because there is almost no character development, and the dancers simply are not good enough actors.  Most of the so-called story lines come across as phony, in my opinion. The only truly breathtaking moment of dance was a tap dance segment.  I don't want to spoil any of the "plot points" so I won't say more about one of the story lines which is meant to be  a tearjerker.  I wasn't feeling it at all.  Whereas Ratmansky created a world on stage in Solitude that was entirely moving and haunting, Justin Peck falls way short in creating a moving story line because the choreography isn't good enough to accomplish that goal. 

Since these dancers have to perform every night, the difficulty level of most of the choreography is substantially easier than what you would find in a typical Peck ballet created for NYCB.

Great to see Robbie Fairchild on stage again. Ditto Craig Salstein. 

It was certainly an interesting evening, but I think my expectations going in were set too high..

 

 

Edited March 13 by abatt

[dirac]

Thank you for telling us your reaction, abatt.

Peck directed this as well, didn't he? How did you (both) feel about the staging?

[abatt]

Yes, Peck directed the production.  The staging was good.  The band and the singers are on elevated platforms on each side of the stage so that the dancers have enough space  on stage.  They did a lot with a minimal amount of scenery, including some sliding doors in the rear of the stage that when opened revealed overgrown grass, and when closed looked like a wall of graffiti. 

The audience was pretty diverse in terms of age.  There were many young attendees (ie people who appeared to be in their 20s and 30s).  Interesting to see whether this will move to Broadway. 

I could tell that some people around me were moved by this production.  I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm not revealing any additional info about the plot.  I think your reaction might depend on whether your family has been touched by any of the issues alluded to in the production. 

 

[abatt]

From Broadway Journal

 

‘ILLINOISE’ TO SQUEAK INTO BROADWAY SEASON

March 15, 2024 by Philip Boroff

Producers Orin Wolf and Greg Nobile are preparing to move the acclaimed dance piece Illinoise  to the St. James Theater, packing another new musical into the busy 2023-24 season.

The transfer from the Park Avenue Armory — where Illinoise is scheduled to play its final, sold-out performance on March 26 — would be so quick that the show may not have time for previews on Broadway, industry sources said. To be eligible for Tony Awards this year, productions must open by April 25.

[BalanchineFan]

On 3/13/2024 at 5:06 PM, abatt said:

I could tell that some people around me were moved by this production.  I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm not revealing any additional info about the plot.  I think your reaction might depend on whether your family has been touched by any of the issues alluded to in the production. 

I saw Illinoise last night. The audience was very enthusiastic and gave a standing ovation. It may help if you're a fan of Sufjan Stevens and are familiar with the album that the songs came from, Illinois. I thought there was a lot of ingenuity in the story telling and that the dancers are all fabulous, but it didn't move me. It seems to be about teenagers who feel like tweens and all of their attendant puberty and hormonal angst. There are parts that I thought were beautifully staged, a car created out of steering wheel, lights and a door, but the lights kept flashing into the audience, in my eyes, which was annoying.

It's worth seeing, if you're interested in the artists, but it was not to my taste. I also couldn't get past the dancers not speaking or singing. The costumes are unflatteringly homemade looking on purpose. Are they all teenage runaways? I'd read something that called it a "new musical" but it's not. I was misinformed. It's a dance piece with live band and live singers onstage, 1 hour 40 minutes, no intermission. The singers wear butterfly wings, and if you have any idea why (many posting in the NY Times comments loved this) you'll probably enjoy it more than I did.

Positive review from Theater critic Jesse Green (it's his Critic's Theater Pick)

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/07/theater/illinoise-review-sufjan-stevens-justin-pick.html?searchResultPosition=3

Less positive review from Gia Kourlas

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/13/arts/dance/illinoise-dance-justin-peck.html?searchResultPosition=1

 

 

Edited March 21 by BalanchineFan

[Peg]

Gia Kourlas’s review summed up my feelings very well. I’m amazed ( but guess I shouldn’t be) that this sappy show is going to Broadway. It will be interesting to see how it fares and if it gets any Tony nominations. 

As others may have noted, Robbie Fairchild is not transferring to Broadway but is going to London to star in a stage adaptation of The Actor. 

[volcanohunter]

I remember that Susan Stroman's Contact didn't even have live music, but it won four Tonys, including best musical.

[Peg]

The quality of the live music in Illinoise (even if you’re not a huge fan of Sufjan Stevens) was one of its high points. 

[BalanchineFan]

23 hours ago, Peg said:

Gia Kourlas’s review summed up my feelings very well. I’m amazed ( but guess I shouldn’t be) that this sappy show is going to Broadway. It will be interesting to see how it fares and if it gets any Tony nominations. 

As others may have noted, Robbie Fairchild is not transferring to Broadway but is going to London to star in a stage adaptation of The Actor. 

There is a huge, enthusiastic audience for Illinoise, judging by the ticket sales and the audience reaction when I went. I hope they do well. If The Park Avenue Armory was one of the original producers they might benefit from the Broadway transfer as well. I believe A Chorus Line kept The Public Theater afloat for years, though this is advertised as a limited Broadway run.

And I wonder who will replace Robert Fairchild for the Broadway run.