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How Sufjan Stevens’s music inspired a new musical

How Sufjan Stevens’s music inspired a new musical

FromThe Rundown | Chicago News


How Sufjan Stevens’s music inspired a new musical

FromThe Rundown | Chicago News

ratings:
Length:
19 minutes
Released:
Feb 2, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Sufjan Stevens’s 2005 album “Illinois” is the source material for a new musical at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. It’s called “Illinoise,” and it’s the only time you’ll hear us pronouncing the “s” at the end of the state.

“I always felt like there was something to discover in a stage work that derives from this album,” said Justin Peck, the director, choreographer and co-writer behind the show.

Peck identified the album as part of his own coming-of-age story when it came out in 2005, so it’s fitting that he and playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury adapted the record into a coming-of-age tale for the stage. The story is told entirely through music and movement.

In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Peck for a peek behind the curtain in developing “Illinoise.”
Released:
Feb 2, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

In bite-sized episodes every weekday, we’ll keep you informed, tickled, geeked, and pondering on Chicago’s news, culture and people. Weekday mornings, stay in the loop with the news, as you take your first sip of adulting for the day. Three afternoons per week -- Monday, Wednesday and Friday -- hear the stories and conversations that shape the Windy City. The Rundown podcast is where curiosity meets FOMO.