The Making Of ‘Illinoise’ And The Guiding Vision Of Sufjan Stevens – Tony Watch Q&a With Justin Peck
Illinoise, the dance-musical hybrid nominated for four Tony Awards (including Best Musical) is the seventh collaboration between Justin Peck, the resident choreographer and artistic advisor of the New York City Ballet, and his old friend and creative partner Sufjan Stevens, the indie singer-songwriter turned Oscar nominee (for his song “Mystery of Love” from 2017’s Call Me By Your Name). But it’s safe to say this quirky gem is something unique. Unlike the duo’s previous projects, which include commissions from major dance companies across the country, Illinoise isn’t exactly a ballet. It’s not exactly a musical either.
Putting movement to Stevens’ 2005 album Illinois and its captivating mixture of indie folk, rock and orchestral arrangements – not to mention lyrics that combine the autobiographical, the historical (figures from the state’s past and landscape pop up frequently) and the fanciful are fashioned into an episodic narrative without dialogue.
Putting movement to Stevens’ 2005 album Illinois and its captivating mixture of indie folk, rock and orchestral arrangements – not to mention lyrics that combine the autobiographical, the historical (figures from the state’s past and landscape pop up frequently) and the fanciful are fashioned into an episodic narrative without dialogue.
- 5/17/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
David Adjmi’s Stereophonic was named Best Play of the year by the New York Drama Critics’ Circle today, with the Best Musical Award going to the Off Broadway production of Dead Outlaw from the team behind The Band’s Visit.
Stereophonic, currently on Broadway, has received 13 Tony Award nominations, and includes songs written by Will Butler from the indie rock band Arcade Fire. The play tells the story of a fractious 1970s Fleetwood Mac-like rock band recording what will be a massive Rumours-like hit record.
Dead Outlaw, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna and a book by Itamar Moses, is inspired by the life of Elmer McCurdy. The musical, which premiered this year at the Minetta Lane Theatre, was originally conceived by Yazbek and tells the story of an outlaw from the early 20th Century whose corpse became a traveling sideshow exhibit for decades.
Stereophonic, currently on Broadway, has received 13 Tony Award nominations, and includes songs written by Will Butler from the indie rock band Arcade Fire. The play tells the story of a fractious 1970s Fleetwood Mac-like rock band recording what will be a massive Rumours-like hit record.
Dead Outlaw, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna and a book by Itamar Moses, is inspired by the life of Elmer McCurdy. The musical, which premiered this year at the Minetta Lane Theatre, was originally conceived by Yazbek and tells the story of an outlaw from the early 20th Century whose corpse became a traveling sideshow exhibit for decades.
- 5/14/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Update, with GoFundMe info: The Broadway production of Illinoise has dedicated the entire run of the musical to production stage manager Thomas J. Gates, who was struck and killed by a New Jersey Transit train yesterday.
“With heavy hearts we mourn the passing of our Production Stage Manager, Thomas J. Gates,” the production posted on social media today. “Thom was the center of Illinoise on Broadway, a beloved friend and collaborator. We are devasted for his husband Rick, another member of the Illinoise community.
“These two amazing human beings led our company on our journey since the beginning. We dedicate the run of Illinoise to Thom and his loving memory.”
Last night’s performance of the Sufjan Stevens-Justin Peck-Jackie Sibblies Drury musical was canceled after the production received word of the tragic incident.
A resident of South Orange, New Jersey, Gates, 51, was struck and killed at 9:12 a.
“With heavy hearts we mourn the passing of our Production Stage Manager, Thomas J. Gates,” the production posted on social media today. “Thom was the center of Illinoise on Broadway, a beloved friend and collaborator. We are devasted for his husband Rick, another member of the Illinoise community.
“These two amazing human beings led our company on our journey since the beginning. We dedicate the run of Illinoise to Thom and his loving memory.”
Last night’s performance of the Sufjan Stevens-Justin Peck-Jackie Sibblies Drury musical was canceled after the production received word of the tragic incident.
A resident of South Orange, New Jersey, Gates, 51, was struck and killed at 9:12 a.
- 5/9/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Tonight’s performance of Broadway’s Sufjan Stevens dance musical Illinoise has been canceled due to the death of a backstage company member.
The death did not occur at the St. James Theatre, where Illinoise is playing. The company member is not a performer and does not appear onstage, and has not been identified.
“Due to a tragedy within the Illinoise community, tonight’s performance will be cancelled and performances will resume tomorrow,” an Instagram post reads. “We apologize for the inconvenience. All tickets for the cancelled performance will be refunded at the original point of purchase.”
Based on Stevens’ 2005 album Illinois, the musical is directed and choreographed by Justin Peck. Last week the production received four Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design and Best Orchestrations. Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury wrote the musical’s book.
Following a sold-out Off Broadway run at Manhattan’s Park Avenue Armory,...
The death did not occur at the St. James Theatre, where Illinoise is playing. The company member is not a performer and does not appear onstage, and has not been identified.
“Due to a tragedy within the Illinoise community, tonight’s performance will be cancelled and performances will resume tomorrow,” an Instagram post reads. “We apologize for the inconvenience. All tickets for the cancelled performance will be refunded at the original point of purchase.”
Based on Stevens’ 2005 album Illinois, the musical is directed and choreographed by Justin Peck. Last week the production received four Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design and Best Orchestrations. Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury wrote the musical’s book.
Following a sold-out Off Broadway run at Manhattan’s Park Avenue Armory,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Diane Kruger’s reputation as one of Hollywood’s most fashionable figures is well-deserved. She consistently dazzles on the red carpet, effortlessly showcasing the most stunning and attention-grabbing dresses. Her latest appearance was no exception.
The 2024 New York City Ballet Spring Gala
On Thursday night, May 2, Diane Kruger radiated sophistication as she led the glamorous arrivals at the 75th anniversary New York City Ballet Spring Gala, hosted at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
This prestigious event spotlights the ballet company’s future endeavors and emphasizes its dedication to new artistic creations. Among the highlights were world premieres by Resident Choreographer Justin Peck and acclaimed choreographer Amy Hall Garner, whose innovative works have graced stages across the dance and theater landscape.
Diane Kruger captivates the audience in a dramatic black Jason Wu off-the-shoulder gown at the 75th anniversary of the New York City Ballet Spring Gala (Credit: Darla...
The 2024 New York City Ballet Spring Gala
On Thursday night, May 2, Diane Kruger radiated sophistication as she led the glamorous arrivals at the 75th anniversary New York City Ballet Spring Gala, hosted at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
This prestigious event spotlights the ballet company’s future endeavors and emphasizes its dedication to new artistic creations. Among the highlights were world premieres by Resident Choreographer Justin Peck and acclaimed choreographer Amy Hall Garner, whose innovative works have graced stages across the dance and theater landscape.
Diane Kruger captivates the audience in a dramatic black Jason Wu off-the-shoulder gown at the 75th anniversary of the New York City Ballet Spring Gala (Credit: Darla...
- 5/6/2024
- by Florie Mae Malapit
- Your Next Shoes
Broadway’s Stereophonic and Hell’s Kitchen took home Lucille Lortel Awards for their earlier Off Broadway productions.
Lortel Awards (for outstanding Off Broadway shows) were awarded to Eli Gelb for his featured performance in a play for Stereophonic, and Kecia Lewis won for her featured performance, musical, in Hell’s Kitchen. Sound designer Ryan Rumery won for Stereophonic. All three of those winners are nominated for 2024 Tony Awards for their their shows Broadway productions.
The 39th annual Lucille Lortel Awards were handed out last night. Topping the winners roster with three awards was (pray), the musical produced by Ars Nova and National Black Theatre and created by nicHi douglas, with music by S T A R R Busby and JJJJJerome Ellis. (pray) won the awards for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Director (douglas), and Outstanding Ensemble.
The complete winners list for the awards, produced by the Off-Broadway League and Lucille Lortel Theatre,...
Lortel Awards (for outstanding Off Broadway shows) were awarded to Eli Gelb for his featured performance in a play for Stereophonic, and Kecia Lewis won for her featured performance, musical, in Hell’s Kitchen. Sound designer Ryan Rumery won for Stereophonic. All three of those winners are nominated for 2024 Tony Awards for their their shows Broadway productions.
The 39th annual Lucille Lortel Awards were handed out last night. Topping the winners roster with three awards was (pray), the musical produced by Ars Nova and National Black Theatre and created by nicHi douglas, with music by S T A R R Busby and JJJJJerome Ellis. (pray) won the awards for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Director (douglas), and Outstanding Ensemble.
The complete winners list for the awards, produced by the Off-Broadway League and Lucille Lortel Theatre,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
When the Tony Award nominations dust settled “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Stereophonic” received the most nominations with 13 each, followed by “The Outsiders” with 12, followed by the revivals of “Cabaret” with nine and “Appropriate” earning eight. Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose returns as host of the third consecutive year of the Tony Awards which CBS and Pluto will telecast June 16th from Lincoln Center.
How well to you know your Tony history? Here are some fun facts about the latest crop of nominees.
The revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 musical “Merrily We Roll Along” earned seven nominations including best revival of a musical, best performance by an actor in a musical for Jonathan Groff, featured actor for Daniel Radcliffe, featured actress for Lindsay Mendez and best director for Maria Friedman (her sister Sonia Friedman is nominated for outstanding play for “Stereophonic”). The troubled original production of “Merrily We Roll Along’ only received a Tony nomination for original score.
How well to you know your Tony history? Here are some fun facts about the latest crop of nominees.
The revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 musical “Merrily We Roll Along” earned seven nominations including best revival of a musical, best performance by an actor in a musical for Jonathan Groff, featured actor for Daniel Radcliffe, featured actress for Lindsay Mendez and best director for Maria Friedman (her sister Sonia Friedman is nominated for outstanding play for “Stereophonic”). The troubled original production of “Merrily We Roll Along’ only received a Tony nomination for original score.
- 5/1/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The Alicia Keys musical Hell’s Kitchen and new play Stereophonic, about a fictional band in the 1970s, led the Tony nominations with 13 nominations each.
The Outsiders, a musical based on the 1967 S.E. Hinton book, followed with 12 nominations and the revival of Cabaret, starring Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, followed with nine nods.
With its 13 noms, Stereophonic set a record for the most Tony nominations for a play, surpassing previous record holder Slave Play’s 12 noms in 2020.
Stereophonic‘s surprisingly strong performance even included a best score nomination despite it being a play.
In the best musical category, Hell’s Kitchen and The Outsiders were nominated, alongside the dance-based show Illionise, with music from Sufjan Stevens’ album and a book by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury; Suffs, a musical about the women’s suffrage movement with a score and book by Shaina Taub; and Water for Elephants, based on the 2006 novel,...
The Outsiders, a musical based on the 1967 S.E. Hinton book, followed with 12 nominations and the revival of Cabaret, starring Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, followed with nine nods.
With its 13 noms, Stereophonic set a record for the most Tony nominations for a play, surpassing previous record holder Slave Play’s 12 noms in 2020.
Stereophonic‘s surprisingly strong performance even included a best score nomination despite it being a play.
In the best musical category, Hell’s Kitchen and The Outsiders were nominated, alongside the dance-based show Illionise, with music from Sufjan Stevens’ album and a book by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury; Suffs, a musical about the women’s suffrage movement with a score and book by Shaina Taub; and Water for Elephants, based on the 2006 novel,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2024 Tony Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, May 2 by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry. The reveal of the roster of contenders was carried on the Tonys YouTube channel. While the nominations for the 77th annual Tony Awards were determined by a few dozen theater professionals, winners will be decided by upwards of 800 members of the Broadway community.
Three dozen shows were eligible for consideration by the nominating committee. On the play side, there are 10 original works and five revivals in the running. Over on the musical side, 15 new tuners were in contention as were six musical revivals. The cutoff date for eligibility was April 27.
The Tony Awards are set for June 16 at Lincoln Center and will be hosted for the third year in a row by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose.
The 2024 Tony Awards nominations list below includes all 26 competitive categories.
Musicals
Best Musical
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise...
Three dozen shows were eligible for consideration by the nominating committee. On the play side, there are 10 original works and five revivals in the running. Over on the musical side, 15 new tuners were in contention as were six musical revivals. The cutoff date for eligibility was April 27.
The Tony Awards are set for June 16 at Lincoln Center and will be hosted for the third year in a row by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose.
The 2024 Tony Awards nominations list below includes all 26 competitive categories.
Musicals
Best Musical
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise...
- 4/30/2024
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Close races and sharp elbows are likely when the 2024 Tony Award nominations are announced Tuesday morning. With so many shows opening during the onslaught of the past two weeks, nominators might still be clearing their minds — and maybe taking a moment to eat and breathe — as they ponder and re-ponder the 36 productions that opened on Broadway between April 28, 2023, and April 25, 2024.
Some of the nominations are no-brainers: The much-praised and hugely popular Merrily We Roll Along is a sure bet for all concerned, but what about more polarizing fare? Cabaret, Here Lies Love, Water for Elephants, I’m looking at you.
A selection of categories will be read live on CBS Mornings at 8:30 am Et, and a full livestream of the announcements will follow at 9 a.m. Et on the official Tony Awards YouTube page.
Related: 2024-25 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For Oscars, Tonys, Guilds, BAFTAs, Spirits & More
Here, then,...
Some of the nominations are no-brainers: The much-praised and hugely popular Merrily We Roll Along is a sure bet for all concerned, but what about more polarizing fare? Cabaret, Here Lies Love, Water for Elephants, I’m looking at you.
A selection of categories will be read live on CBS Mornings at 8:30 am Et, and a full livestream of the announcements will follow at 9 a.m. Et on the official Tony Awards YouTube page.
Related: 2024-25 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For Oscars, Tonys, Guilds, BAFTAs, Spirits & More
Here, then,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The anticipation surrounding Illinoise, the stage musical and dance performance inspired by Sufjan Stevens’ revered album of the same name, has been building for quite some time. Following successful runs at Chicago’s Shakespeare Theater and New York City’s Park Avenue Armory, Illinois has now arrived on Broadway, opening at the St. James Theatre, just in time for eligibility at the 2024 Tony Awards.
Since its debut at Bard College in New York last spring, the production has garnered wide acclaim from critics.
Upon its release in 2005, Stevens’s concept album, comprised of 26 songs dedicated to the state of Illinois, quickly resonated with a generation of listeners. Through the album, Stevens weaved together historical figures, local references, and personal narratives, alternating between marching band arrangements and intimate banjo strums. Despite its specific geographic focus, the album’s themes of loss, rediscovery and the universal human experience connected with audiences worldwide.
Since its debut at Bard College in New York last spring, the production has garnered wide acclaim from critics.
Upon its release in 2005, Stevens’s concept album, comprised of 26 songs dedicated to the state of Illinois, quickly resonated with a generation of listeners. Through the album, Stevens weaved together historical figures, local references, and personal narratives, alternating between marching band arrangements and intimate banjo strums. Despite its specific geographic focus, the album’s themes of loss, rediscovery and the universal human experience connected with audiences worldwide.
- 4/29/2024
- by Baila Eve Zisman
- Uinterview
A new musical, a musical revival and a new play with music will dominate the 2024 Tony Awards nominations, according to our official odds in 17 of the 26 categories. The latest revival of the classic John Kander and Fred Ebb musical “Cabaret,” fresh off a smash run on the West End, and the new musical “Hell’s Kitchen” that is loosely based on the life of Alicia Keys and her music will both net at least seven nominations. New works “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Here Lies Love” and “Suffs” and the starry revival of Stephen Sondheim‘s notorious flop “Merrily We Roll Along” will also earn substantial nominations tallies.
Playwright David Adjmi‘s “Stereophonic” will lead this year’s crop of plays and play revivals with at least five nominations. Right behind are five other works – two new shows and three revivals – that will all tie at least four nominations apiece,...
Playwright David Adjmi‘s “Stereophonic” will lead this year’s crop of plays and play revivals with at least five nominations. Right behind are five other works – two new shows and three revivals – that will all tie at least four nominations apiece,...
- 4/28/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
The 2023-2024 Broadway season that kicked off last June with the opening of “Grey House” featured 36 productions of new and revived musicals and plays. This staggeringly crowded year – especially this spring with its 19 openings in March and April alone – means that the nominations for the 77th Tony Awards will likely be as unpredictable as ever, so review our official racetrack odds in the top 17 of 26 categories. The nominations will be announced on the morning of April 30 by Tony winners Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Take Me Out”) and Renée Elise Goldsberry (“Hamilton”).
These official odds for the 77th Tonys are derived from the predictions of our Experts, Editors, Top 24 Users, All-Star Top 24 and all our Users, who make up the largest and often savviest bloc of predictors.
Below, see our 2024 Tony Awards predictions in 17 of the 26 categories. Make or edit your predictions before the nominations are unveiled on April 30.
Musicals
Best Musical...
These official odds for the 77th Tonys are derived from the predictions of our Experts, Editors, Top 24 Users, All-Star Top 24 and all our Users, who make up the largest and often savviest bloc of predictors.
Below, see our 2024 Tony Awards predictions in 17 of the 26 categories. Make or edit your predictions before the nominations are unveiled on April 30.
Musicals
Best Musical...
- 4/28/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
“This crazy whirlwind of a season has finally come to an end,” declares Sam Eckmann as we kick off our final Tony Awards nominations predictions slugfest of 2024. We begin our conversation with the musical categories and the ever-challenging race for Best Musical. Sam and I both feel “pretty secure” about the top three shows – “Suffs,” “Illinoise” and “Hell’s Kitchen” – and we surprisingly concur on the final two slots, predicting “Here Lies Love” and “The Outsiders.” There are so many potential nominees in contention, though, that we cite our alternate picks as I opt for “Days of Wine and Roses” as my number six, and Sam goes with “The Notebook.” Watch our full Tony Awards video slugfest above.
You can also watch both of us giving our wishlist picks, pleading to Tony nomination voters to choose some people who might be under the radar. Watch that video here.
Sam and...
You can also watch both of us giving our wishlist picks, pleading to Tony nomination voters to choose some people who might be under the radar. Watch that video here.
Sam and...
- 4/28/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
The setting for Illinoise, Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury’s emotionally supercharged reinterpretation of the 2005 Sufjan Stevens concept album, is various locations across the Land of Lincoln — a cornfield, a hiking trail, a woodland clearing, the suburban home of a serial killer, a small town in the middle of nowhere, the top of a skyscraper and, of course, Chicago, with an out-of-state detour to New York City. But the real setting of this thrilling dance-musical-concert hybrid, alternately rhapsodic and shattering, is our collective youth.
Without a word of spoken dialogue, the show pulls us into late adolescence, a time when love, anguish and everything in between are felt perhaps with the greatest intensity. The book co-written by director-choreographer Peck and Drury (who won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with her brilliant meta-theatrical race inquiry, Fairview) is skillfully shaped yet invisible in the best sense of undiluted physical, sensorial and elemental storytelling.
Without a word of spoken dialogue, the show pulls us into late adolescence, a time when love, anguish and everything in between are felt perhaps with the greatest intensity. The book co-written by director-choreographer Peck and Drury (who won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with her brilliant meta-theatrical race inquiry, Fairview) is skillfully shaped yet invisible in the best sense of undiluted physical, sensorial and elemental storytelling.
- 4/26/2024
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
April on Broadway, to mangle a phrase from a showtune classic, is bustin’ out all over with no fewer than 14 new plays and musicals set to open before the April 25 Tony Award eligibility cutoff date. So crowded are the final weeks of the 2023-24 theater season that three days each will see the openings of two shows, a Broadway rarity.
Check this page to see Deadline’s takes. Whether you use this page as a guide or as an invitation to argue, drop by often for the latest on Broadway’s offerings. And there’ll be plenty of offerings indeed — here’s the schedule of April openings: The Outsiders (April 11), Lempicka (April 14), The Wiz (April 17), Suffs (April 18), Stereophonic (April 19), Hell’s Kitchen (April 20), Cabaret (April 21), Patriots (April 22), The Heart of Rock and Roll (April 22), Mary Jane (April 23), Illinoise (April 24), Uncle Vanya (April 24), Mother Play (April 25), The Great Gatsby (April 25).
Below...
Check this page to see Deadline’s takes. Whether you use this page as a guide or as an invitation to argue, drop by often for the latest on Broadway’s offerings. And there’ll be plenty of offerings indeed — here’s the schedule of April openings: The Outsiders (April 11), Lempicka (April 14), The Wiz (April 17), Suffs (April 18), Stereophonic (April 19), Hell’s Kitchen (April 20), Cabaret (April 21), Patriots (April 22), The Heart of Rock and Roll (April 22), Mary Jane (April 23), Illinoise (April 24), Uncle Vanya (April 24), Mother Play (April 25), The Great Gatsby (April 25).
Below...
- 4/26/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Director and choreographer Justin Peck’s Broadway adaptation of Sufjan Stevens’ seminal 2005 album Illinoise opens later this month, and today, producers Orin Wolf, Seaview, John Styles, and David Binder and executive producer Nate Koch announced the three vocalists set to help bring Stevens’ music to the theater.
Elijah Lyons, Shara Nova, and Tasha Viets-VanLear will provide vocals for the show’s Broadway debut. All three performed during recent sold-out productions at the Park Avenue Armory and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Nova, who also records as My Brightest Diamond, provided backing vocals...
Elijah Lyons, Shara Nova, and Tasha Viets-VanLear will provide vocals for the show’s Broadway debut. All three performed during recent sold-out productions at the Park Avenue Armory and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Nova, who also records as My Brightest Diamond, provided backing vocals...
- 4/5/2024
- by Jeff Ihaza
- Rollingstone.com
Nominations for the 39th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards were announced today by Amber Iman and George Abud, two stars of Broadway’s “Lempicka.” The Lortels honor outstanding achievement in Off-Broadway theater. The 2024 ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 5 at NYU Skirball Center. The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by the Off-Broadway League and Lucille Lortel Theatre, with additional support provided by Tdf.
It’s common for productions to begin their life Off-Broadway before transferring to the Main Stem, so many of this year’s Tony Awards hopefuls are among the list of Lortel nominations. Chief among these contenders is “Hell’s Kitchen,” the semi-autobiographical musical from Alicia Keys. That tuner garnered five Lortel nominations. These include Best Musical, Best Choreography for Camille A. Brown, a Lead Performer bid for Maleah Joi Moon, and Featured Performer bids for Shoshana Bean and Kecia Lewis. All performance categories at the Lortel Awards are gender neutral.
It’s common for productions to begin their life Off-Broadway before transferring to the Main Stem, so many of this year’s Tony Awards hopefuls are among the list of Lortel nominations. Chief among these contenders is “Hell’s Kitchen,” the semi-autobiographical musical from Alicia Keys. That tuner garnered five Lortel nominations. These include Best Musical, Best Choreography for Camille A. Brown, a Lead Performer bid for Maleah Joi Moon, and Featured Performer bids for Shoshana Bean and Kecia Lewis. All performance categories at the Lortel Awards are gender neutral.
- 4/4/2024
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
I thought I was safe to boldly pronounce my initial 2024 Tony Awards predictions, but then Sufjan Stevens appeared to stomp all over them. As David Buchanan and I convened to discuss where we thought the musical nominations were headed this season, news broke that Off-Broadway’s dreamy dance show “Illinoise” will transfer to the St. James Theatre just in time to compete at this year’s ceremony. The show, based on Stevens’ seminal album, has thrown our Tony predictions into disarray. Watch our full video slugfest above.
“Illinoise” marks the 15th new musical of the 2023-2024 season. That’s more new tuners than any Broadway season since 1975-1976. Theatergoers this year are indeed spoiled with a glut of new shows, but predicting the coveted Best Musical category has become a titanic task.
See 2024 Tony Awards nominations predictions: Big tallies for musicals ‘Lempicka,’ ‘The Notebook,’ ‘Cabaret’ …
David believes “Illinoise” will be...
“Illinoise” marks the 15th new musical of the 2023-2024 season. That’s more new tuners than any Broadway season since 1975-1976. Theatergoers this year are indeed spoiled with a glut of new shows, but predicting the coveted Best Musical category has become a titanic task.
See 2024 Tony Awards nominations predictions: Big tallies for musicals ‘Lempicka,’ ‘The Notebook,’ ‘Cabaret’ …
David believes “Illinoise” will be...
- 3/21/2024
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Broadway audiences will be making noise for Sufjan Stevens’ Illinoise when the play arrives for its limited engagement beginning in April. The musical — based on Stevens’ 2005 concept album Illinois — will run for 16 weeks under director and choreographer Justin Peck, who crafted its story with Jackie Sibblies Drury.
Illinoise will make itself at home at the St. James Theatre. Its opening performance is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24 at 2 p.m. with closing night set for Saturday, Aug. 10. Previously, the musical hosted productions at the Park Avenue Armory and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Illinoise will make itself at home at the St. James Theatre. Its opening performance is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24 at 2 p.m. with closing night set for Saturday, Aug. 10. Previously, the musical hosted productions at the Park Avenue Armory and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
- 3/19/2024
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
The musical theater adaptation of Sufjan Stevens’ beloved 2005 album Illinois is heading to Broadway.
Dubbed Illinoise, the hybrid dance-musical production will open on Wednesday, April 24th at the St. James Theatre in New York, with shows running through Saturday, August 10th. Tickets are now on sale.
Adapted from Stevens’ landmark album, Illinoise features music and lyrics penned by Stevens, choreography by Justin Peck (who also choreographed Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story), and a story written by Peck and Pulitzer Prize-winner Jackie Sibblies Drury. The production received its initial premiere last summer at Bard College’s Fisher Center in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, and was later staged at the Park Avenue Armory and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
llinoise is billed as a “coming-of-age story that takes the audience on a journey through the American heartland — from campfire storytelling to the edges of the cosmos — all told in through a unique blend of music,...
Dubbed Illinoise, the hybrid dance-musical production will open on Wednesday, April 24th at the St. James Theatre in New York, with shows running through Saturday, August 10th. Tickets are now on sale.
Adapted from Stevens’ landmark album, Illinoise features music and lyrics penned by Stevens, choreography by Justin Peck (who also choreographed Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story), and a story written by Peck and Pulitzer Prize-winner Jackie Sibblies Drury. The production received its initial premiere last summer at Bard College’s Fisher Center in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, and was later staged at the Park Avenue Armory and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
llinoise is billed as a “coming-of-age story that takes the audience on a journey through the American heartland — from campfire storytelling to the edges of the cosmos — all told in through a unique blend of music,...
- 3/19/2024
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Music
Illinoise, a theatrical adaptation of Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 album, will move to Broadway in April, slipping in under the wire for this season’s Tony Awards consideration.
The musical, which is currently playing Park Avenue Armory through March 23, will transfer to the St. James Theatre. The first performance of the show on Broadway will take place April 24 at 2 p.m. and will also be the show’s opening night. The eligibility cut-off date for the Tony Awards is April 25.
The limited engagement is scheduled to run through Aug. 10.
The production is directed and choreographed by Justin Peck, resident choreographer and artistic associate of the New York City Ballet, who also choreographed Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film West Side Story. Peck wrote the book of the show, alongside Jackie Sibblies Drury, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Fairview and Marys Seacole.
Illinoise features a full company of dancers, including So You Think You Can Dance...
The musical, which is currently playing Park Avenue Armory through March 23, will transfer to the St. James Theatre. The first performance of the show on Broadway will take place April 24 at 2 p.m. and will also be the show’s opening night. The eligibility cut-off date for the Tony Awards is April 25.
The limited engagement is scheduled to run through Aug. 10.
The production is directed and choreographed by Justin Peck, resident choreographer and artistic associate of the New York City Ballet, who also choreographed Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film West Side Story. Peck wrote the book of the show, alongside Jackie Sibblies Drury, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Fairview and Marys Seacole.
Illinoise features a full company of dancers, including So You Think You Can Dance...
- 3/19/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Update, with vocalists announced: Illinoise, the acclaimed dance-musical stage adaptation of Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 concept album Illinois, will transfer from Off Broadway’s Park Avenue Armory to Broadway’s St. James Theatre next month, arriving just a day before this season’s Tony Award eligibility cut-off date.
The musical, with direction and choreography from Justin Peck and a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, begins performances with a matinee at the St. James on Wednesday, April 24, which will serve as the engagement’s Tony-qualifying opening performance. Broadway reviews will be embargoed to Friday, April 26, a day after the April 25 Tony cut-off.
In a busy late-season Broadway schedule unrivaled in memory, Illinoise becomes the 14th show scheduled to open between April 11 and April 25. Three of those dates will see not one but two shows open: Patriots and The Heart of Rock and Roll on April 22; Illinoise and Uncle Vanya on...
The musical, with direction and choreography from Justin Peck and a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, begins performances with a matinee at the St. James on Wednesday, April 24, which will serve as the engagement’s Tony-qualifying opening performance. Broadway reviews will be embargoed to Friday, April 26, a day after the April 25 Tony cut-off.
In a busy late-season Broadway schedule unrivaled in memory, Illinoise becomes the 14th show scheduled to open between April 11 and April 25. Three of those dates will see not one but two shows open: Patriots and The Heart of Rock and Roll on April 22; Illinoise and Uncle Vanya on...
- 3/19/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s not hard to imagine what Justin Peck heard in Sufjan Stevens’s 2005 album Illinois that convinced him that the music pulsated with possibilities for dance. Illinois, with its orchestral textures, surprising mixed-meter rhythms, and impressionistic instrumental interludes, is an explosively varied 75 minutes of music as Stevens’s lyrics traverse the history, geography, and iconography of the Prairie State. At its best, Peck’s stage adaptation, which arrives at the Park Avenue Armory following a run at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, suggests that rapturous movement was somewhere inside Stevens’s songwriting from the start.
In Illinoise (the show’s title follows the stylized spelling on the album’s cover), a 14-piece band including three featured vocalists, pay thoughtful homage to Stevens’s original arrangements. Since Stevens played over 20 instruments on Illinois, watching the full band, led by Nathan Koci, can feel like the songwriter’s solo artistry has fragmented...
In Illinoise (the show’s title follows the stylized spelling on the album’s cover), a 14-piece band including three featured vocalists, pay thoughtful homage to Stevens’s original arrangements. Since Stevens played over 20 instruments on Illinois, watching the full band, led by Nathan Koci, can feel like the songwriter’s solo artistry has fragmented...
- 3/8/2024
- by Dan Rubins
- Slant Magazine
Jerome Robbins is alive and well and living in choreographer Justin Peck.
Two years after Peck crafted choreography based on Robbins’ iconic original for “West Side Story,” the Tony Award winner returns to Robbins’ work with an unforgettable sequence in Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro.”
Bernstein, the polymath who was equally at home writing Broadway musicals as he was conducting orchestras and teaching young conductors, was a seminal figure in musical theater, composing scores for now-classics including “On the Town,” “Wonderful Town,” and “West Side Story.” But, as Cooper’s film makes clear, with great talent comes great doubts. And Bernstein was torn between the razzle-dazzle of Broadway and the more “serious” music that his conducting and composing colleagues expected of him. That push-pull comes to thrilling life early in the film, when his soon-to-be-wife Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) yanks him from a luncheon where he’s being...
Two years after Peck crafted choreography based on Robbins’ iconic original for “West Side Story,” the Tony Award winner returns to Robbins’ work with an unforgettable sequence in Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro.”
Bernstein, the polymath who was equally at home writing Broadway musicals as he was conducting orchestras and teaching young conductors, was a seminal figure in musical theater, composing scores for now-classics including “On the Town,” “Wonderful Town,” and “West Side Story.” But, as Cooper’s film makes clear, with great talent comes great doubts. And Bernstein was torn between the razzle-dazzle of Broadway and the more “serious” music that his conducting and composing colleagues expected of him. That push-pull comes to thrilling life early in the film, when his soon-to-be-wife Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) yanks him from a luncheon where he’s being...
- 12/11/2023
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
Illinoise, a theatrical adaptation of Sufjan Stevens’ career-breakthrough 2005 concept album Illinois, will make its New York City premiere in March at Manhattan’s Park Avenue Armory, the arts venue announced today.
A dance-music-theater hybrid, Illinoise will include music and lyrics by Stevens, based on his album, and will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Justin Peck with a story by Peck and Pulitzer-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury (Fairview).
The show, which will feature Timo Andres’ new arrangements of the entire Stevens album, will run from March 2-23, 2024, at the Upper East Side venue.
In its announcement today, the Armory described Stevens’ album as a “wildly inventive portrayal of the state’s people, landscapes, and history, complete with UFOs, zombies, and predatory wasps.”
“This musically ambitious work, which weaves together cinematic orchestral anthems, jazz riffs, and other musical influences to explore wide-ranging...
A dance-music-theater hybrid, Illinoise will include music and lyrics by Stevens, based on his album, and will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Justin Peck with a story by Peck and Pulitzer-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury (Fairview).
The show, which will feature Timo Andres’ new arrangements of the entire Stevens album, will run from March 2-23, 2024, at the Upper East Side venue.
In its announcement today, the Armory described Stevens’ album as a “wildly inventive portrayal of the state’s people, landscapes, and history, complete with UFOs, zombies, and predatory wasps.”
“This musically ambitious work, which weaves together cinematic orchestral anthems, jazz riffs, and other musical influences to explore wide-ranging...
- 11/16/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The upcoming Broadway revival of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People starring Jeremy Strong has landed two more heavy hitters: Michael Imperioli will costar opposite Strong, and Plan B, the production company of Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner & Jeremy Kleiner, has signed on as a producer.
The project marks the Broadway debuts for both Imperioli and Plan B. Complete casting will be announced at a later date.
As previously announced, the strictly limited 16-week engagement begins previews at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, and will open Monday, March 18.
The new adaptation by Amy Herzog (a Tony nominee for last season’s A Doll’s House starring Jessica Chastain) will be directed by Tony Award winner Sam Gold (Fun Home).
Imperioli, currently starring in Hulu’s This Fool, was Emmy-nominated for his turn in Season 2 of Mike White’s acclaimed hit series The White Lotus, and is...
The project marks the Broadway debuts for both Imperioli and Plan B. Complete casting will be announced at a later date.
As previously announced, the strictly limited 16-week engagement begins previews at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, and will open Monday, March 18.
The new adaptation by Amy Herzog (a Tony nominee for last season’s A Doll’s House starring Jessica Chastain) will be directed by Tony Award winner Sam Gold (Fun Home).
Imperioli, currently starring in Hulu’s This Fool, was Emmy-nominated for his turn in Season 2 of Mike White’s acclaimed hit series The White Lotus, and is...
- 11/14/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
This Friday, October 27, 2023, at 9:00 Pm on PBS, “Great Performances” brings you a remarkable show featuring the New York City Ballet as they take the stage at Madrid’s Teatro Real. In this episode, viewers will enjoy an evening of incredible dance performances without any embellishments.
The New York City Ballet, renowned for their exceptional artistry, will showcase timeless works by legendary choreographer George Balanchine. These include “Serenade” and “Square Dance.” Additionally, the show will feature the contemporary piece “The Times Are Racing,” choreographed by Justin Peck.
“Great Performances” invites audiences of all ages to witness the beauty and grace of ballet. It’s a night of pure dance, where the artistry and talent of the New York City Ballet take center stage.
Don’t miss the New York City Ballet’s enchanting performance on October 27, 2023, at 9:00 Pm, only on PBS.
Release Date & Time: 9:00 Pm Friday 27 October 2023 on...
The New York City Ballet, renowned for their exceptional artistry, will showcase timeless works by legendary choreographer George Balanchine. These include “Serenade” and “Square Dance.” Additionally, the show will feature the contemporary piece “The Times Are Racing,” choreographed by Justin Peck.
“Great Performances” invites audiences of all ages to witness the beauty and grace of ballet. It’s a night of pure dance, where the artistry and talent of the New York City Ballet take center stage.
Don’t miss the New York City Ballet’s enchanting performance on October 27, 2023, at 9:00 Pm, only on PBS.
Release Date & Time: 9:00 Pm Friday 27 October 2023 on...
- 10/20/2023
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
Sufjan Stevens has returned with a new single entitled “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” A strikingly candid composition, the song arrives ahead of his forthcoming new album Javelin, which is due in full on October 6th. Stream the new single below.
Featuring backup vocals from fellow artists adrienne maree brown, Hannah Cohen, and Megan Lui, “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” is a confessional song, with an almost hymnal quality. Alluding to past sins and the “heartache and misery” he may have caused, Stevens pleads for a deliverance of sorts, seeking to find the answer to the titular question. As he reaches the chorus, he sings: “Will anybody ever love me?/ For good reasons, without grievance, not for sport/ Will anybody ever love me?/ In every season/ Pledge allegiance to my heart/ Pledge allegiance to my burning heart.”
Like Javelin’s previous single, “So You Are Tired,” the new song is...
Featuring backup vocals from fellow artists adrienne maree brown, Hannah Cohen, and Megan Lui, “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” is a confessional song, with an almost hymnal quality. Alluding to past sins and the “heartache and misery” he may have caused, Stevens pleads for a deliverance of sorts, seeking to find the answer to the titular question. As he reaches the chorus, he sings: “Will anybody ever love me?/ For good reasons, without grievance, not for sport/ Will anybody ever love me?/ In every season/ Pledge allegiance to my heart/ Pledge allegiance to my burning heart.”
Like Javelin’s previous single, “So You Are Tired,” the new song is...
- 9/13/2023
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
Five of New York’s Most Celebrated Companies,
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre,
Ballet Hispánico, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and New York City Ballet,
Return for Five Nights as part of Summer for the City at Lincoln Center
Free: July 25-29, 2023 at 7:30pm
Made possible by Chanel
New York, NY – Five of NYC’s most iconic dance companies—Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem—return for the third annual Baand Together Dance Festival, sharing the spotlight and an outdoor stage as a part of Lincoln Center’s second annual Summer for the City.
From July 25–29, audiences will be treated to exciting evenings of programming curated collaboratively by the artistic directors of the companies, featuring works that are quintessential of each company’s style and brilliance, as well as the World Premiere of Pas...
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre,
Ballet Hispánico, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and New York City Ballet,
Return for Five Nights as part of Summer for the City at Lincoln Center
Free: July 25-29, 2023 at 7:30pm
Made possible by Chanel
New York, NY – Five of NYC’s most iconic dance companies—Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem—return for the third annual Baand Together Dance Festival, sharing the spotlight and an outdoor stage as a part of Lincoln Center’s second annual Summer for the City.
From July 25–29, audiences will be treated to exciting evenings of programming curated collaboratively by the artistic directors of the companies, featuring works that are quintessential of each company’s style and brilliance, as well as the World Premiere of Pas...
- 6/21/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Sufjan Stevens has announced that he’s partnered with Third Man Pressings to release a new special edition vinyl honoring the 20th anniversary of his third studio album, Michigan. Featuring alternate versions of “Romulus” and “Vito’s Ordination Song,” as well as never-before-heard cuts like “Marching Band” and “Wolverine,” the new edition will expand on the sonic world Stevens created while honoring his home state. Each of the colored vinyl variants will hit shelves this upcoming week.
Coordinated with Third Man’s Detroit location, the new vinyl comes in three shades. A “Great Lakes Blue” edition will be released on June 13th at 10:30 a.m. Et, and will be available online as well as at Third Man’s physical stores. The “University of Michigan/Michigan State Akr” edition, released with Asthmatic Kitty Records, will be available at Asthmatic Kitty’s store beginning June 14th at 10:00 a.m. Et,...
Coordinated with Third Man’s Detroit location, the new vinyl comes in three shades. A “Great Lakes Blue” edition will be released on June 13th at 10:30 a.m. Et, and will be available online as well as at Third Man’s physical stores. The “University of Michigan/Michigan State Akr” edition, released with Asthmatic Kitty Records, will be available at Asthmatic Kitty’s store beginning June 14th at 10:00 a.m. Et,...
- 6/9/2023
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
Sufjan Stevens has revealed his latest project Reflections, a score to his frequent collaborator Justin Peck’s ballet of the same name. It’ll be out today, May 19th via his own label Asthmatic Kitty.
Stevens wrote Reflections for two pianos, while Peck, whose recent credits also include Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake, choreographed its eleven dancers. The Houston Ballet originally commissioned the show, which premiered on March 21st, 2019. Piano might not be Stevens’ first instrument (fun fact: it was the oboe), but the format lends itself to moving and whimsical compositions. Per his words, the score is meant to emanate “energy, light, and duality,” although he certainly doesn’t take himself too seriously here: The closing track is called “And I Shall Come to You Like a Stormtrooper in Drag Serving Imperial Realness.”
“I’m constantly thinking about bodies moving through space when I’m writing for...
Stevens wrote Reflections for two pianos, while Peck, whose recent credits also include Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake, choreographed its eleven dancers. The Houston Ballet originally commissioned the show, which premiered on March 21st, 2019. Piano might not be Stevens’ first instrument (fun fact: it was the oboe), but the format lends itself to moving and whimsical compositions. Per his words, the score is meant to emanate “energy, light, and duality,” although he certainly doesn’t take himself too seriously here: The closing track is called “And I Shall Come to You Like a Stormtrooper in Drag Serving Imperial Realness.”
“I’m constantly thinking about bodies moving through space when I’m writing for...
- 5/19/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Music
The music Sufjan Stevens composed for a Justin Peck-choreographed ballet will get an official studio album release with Reflections on May 19. On Tuesday, Stevens announced the release of the project performed by Timo Andres and Conor Hanick, and dropped its first single “Ekstasis.”
“Having two of them at my disposal was an exciting opportunity and gave me a real catharsis about the expansiveness of the instrument,” Stevens said in a release.
The new song “embodies” the themes of Reflections as a whole, according to a press release. And the...
“Having two of them at my disposal was an exciting opportunity and gave me a real catharsis about the expansiveness of the instrument,” Stevens said in a release.
The new song “embodies” the themes of Reflections as a whole, according to a press release. And the...
- 4/19/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois has been adapted into a musical theater production that will premiere this summer as part of the 20th anniversary season for Bard College’s Fisher Center in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
Adapted from Stevens’ landmark 2005 album, the stage production features music and lyrics penned by Stevens, choreography by Justin Peck (who also choreographed Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story), and a story written by Peck and Pulitzer Prize-winner Jackie Sibblies Drury. It will run from June 23rd through July 2nd. Tickets start at $25 and are available here.
“Featuring new arrangements of the entire album for a live band and three voices — ranging in style from DIY folk and indie rock to marching band and ambient electronics — Illinois will lead us on a mighty journey through the American heartland, from campfire storytelling to the edges of the cosmos,” the description for the production reads. “Tony Award-winner Justin Peck transforms...
Adapted from Stevens’ landmark 2005 album, the stage production features music and lyrics penned by Stevens, choreography by Justin Peck (who also choreographed Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story), and a story written by Peck and Pulitzer Prize-winner Jackie Sibblies Drury. It will run from June 23rd through July 2nd. Tickets start at $25 and are available here.
“Featuring new arrangements of the entire album for a live band and three voices — ranging in style from DIY folk and indie rock to marching band and ambient electronics — Illinois will lead us on a mighty journey through the American heartland, from campfire storytelling to the edges of the cosmos,” the description for the production reads. “Tony Award-winner Justin Peck transforms...
- 3/9/2023
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
A stage adaptation of Sufjan Stevens’ acclaimed 2005 album Illinois will make its world premiere this summer in a production by The Fisher Center at Bard where Daniel Fish’s eye-opening Tony-winning revival of Oklahoma! got its start.
A press opening for Illinois at an as-yet-undisclosed Chicago theater will be announced shortly.
Directing and choreographing Illinois will be Justin Peck, a Tony winner for his choreography of Broadway’s 2018 revival of Carousel. More recently, Peck choreographed Steven Spielberg’s 2021 screen adaptation of West Side Story.
Illinois will feature music and lyrics by Stevens and a story by Peck and Pulitzer Prize-winning Fairview playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury.
“Three brilliantly imaginative artists, Justin Peck, Sufjan Stevens, and Jackie Sibblies Drury, unite to create an ecstatic pageant of storytelling, theater, dance, and live music,” the Fisher Center said in the announcement statement. “Stevens’ 2005 concept album Illinois enjoys cult status for its lush orchestrations and...
A press opening for Illinois at an as-yet-undisclosed Chicago theater will be announced shortly.
Directing and choreographing Illinois will be Justin Peck, a Tony winner for his choreography of Broadway’s 2018 revival of Carousel. More recently, Peck choreographed Steven Spielberg’s 2021 screen adaptation of West Side Story.
Illinois will feature music and lyrics by Stevens and a story by Peck and Pulitzer Prize-winning Fairview playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury.
“Three brilliantly imaginative artists, Justin Peck, Sufjan Stevens, and Jackie Sibblies Drury, unite to create an ecstatic pageant of storytelling, theater, dance, and live music,” the Fisher Center said in the announcement statement. “Stevens’ 2005 concept album Illinois enjoys cult status for its lush orchestrations and...
- 3/9/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
New York, NY — January 18, 2023 — The 92nd Street Y, New York (92Ny), one of New York’s leading cultural venues, presents Caroline Shaw, vocals & Sō Percussion: Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part, with special guests Bora Yoon and Iarla Ó Lionáird, vocals, on February 4, 2023 at 7:30pm Et at the Kaufmann Concert Hall. The concert will also be available for viewing online for 72 hours from time of broadcast. Tickets for both the in-person and livestream options start at 25 and are available at 92ny.org/event/caroline-shaw-and-so-percussion..
Composer Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion make their only NYC appearance together this season. Their program draws from their Nonesuch recording project, Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part, with original songs and lyrics inspired by and reflecting the artists’ broad span of interests: James Joyce, a poem by Anne Carson, the Sacred Harp hymn book, American roots music, and more. The program will...
Composer Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion make their only NYC appearance together this season. Their program draws from their Nonesuch recording project, Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part, with original songs and lyrics inspired by and reflecting the artists’ broad span of interests: James Joyce, a poem by Anne Carson, the Sacred Harp hymn book, American roots music, and more. The program will...
- 1/18/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Works & Process at the Guggenheim announces the long await return of Peter & the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev with Isaac Mizrahi. Tickets available now at www.worksandprocess.org.
Peter & the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev with Isaac Mizrahi
Saturday, December 10 & Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 1 pm, 2:30 pm & 4 pm
Tickets 35, Choose What You Pay
Isaac Mizrahi narrates and directs Sergei Prokofiev’s charming children’s classic, accompanied by Ensemble Connect conducted by Michael P. Atkinson, Associate Conductor, The Knights. The cast, wearing costumes by Mizrahi, performs choreography by John Heginbotham, bringing the 30-minute story to life for the young and young at heart.
No matter how tall or small, everyone needs a ticket.
Works & Process At The Guggenheim
1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128
Isaac Mizrahi (libra) has directed numerous theatrical productions and operas including a 2014 production of The Magic Flute at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Mizrahi has worked extensively in the theater both...
Peter & the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev with Isaac Mizrahi
Saturday, December 10 & Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 1 pm, 2:30 pm & 4 pm
Tickets 35, Choose What You Pay
Isaac Mizrahi narrates and directs Sergei Prokofiev’s charming children’s classic, accompanied by Ensemble Connect conducted by Michael P. Atkinson, Associate Conductor, The Knights. The cast, wearing costumes by Mizrahi, performs choreography by John Heginbotham, bringing the 30-minute story to life for the young and young at heart.
No matter how tall or small, everyone needs a ticket.
Works & Process At The Guggenheim
1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128
Isaac Mizrahi (libra) has directed numerous theatrical productions and operas including a 2014 production of The Magic Flute at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Mizrahi has worked extensively in the theater both...
- 10/22/2022
- by Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
A new iteration of “West Side Story” has arrived, courtesy of producer and director Steven Spielberg, who worked from a script by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner (“Lincoln”). After earning critical raves and a spot atop the AFI Top 10 Films of the Year list in 2021, and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Ariana DeBose, the film is an awards frontrunner with seven Oscar nominations and now it’s finally available to watch on streaming.
The film has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway musical, which was written by Arthur Laurents with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and concept, direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins. Tony Award winner Justin Peck choreographs the musical numbers in the film. Tony Award-winning producer Kevin McCollum and Academy Award-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger also led the production.
The film’s music team includes conductor Gustavo Dudamel...
The film has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway musical, which was written by Arthur Laurents with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and concept, direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins. Tony Award winner Justin Peck choreographs the musical numbers in the film. Tony Award-winning producer Kevin McCollum and Academy Award-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger also led the production.
The film’s music team includes conductor Gustavo Dudamel...
- 3/27/2022
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
From ‘Moon Knight’ to ‘Everything Everywhere,’ Director Duos Dazzle — and Draw DGA Scrutiny (Column)
Forget the Oscars. If you’re serious about staying on top of current cinema, you already realize this weekend’s big movie event is in theaters: “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” in which Michelle Yeoh plays a woman coming to terms with her life in multiple dimensions, marks the latest unclassifiable blend of anarchic poignance that Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert first unleashed with “Swiss Army Man.”
Daniels (they’d prefer we drop the “The”) are one of two filmmaking duos with new work out this week, as siblings Adam and Aaron Nee release their first studio effort “The Lost City” from Paramount. Some of the most beloved filmmakers working today include the Safdie brothers, the Russo brothers, and Phil Lord and Chris Miller; cineastes mourned at the Coen brothers’ breakup, but many have stepped up to fill the void. However, for the DGA, two is not better than one.
Daniels (they’d prefer we drop the “The”) are one of two filmmaking duos with new work out this week, as siblings Adam and Aaron Nee release their first studio effort “The Lost City” from Paramount. Some of the most beloved filmmakers working today include the Safdie brothers, the Russo brothers, and Phil Lord and Chris Miller; cineastes mourned at the Coen brothers’ breakup, but many have stepped up to fill the void. However, for the DGA, two is not better than one.
- 3/26/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The opening of “West Side Story,” both the 1961 and 2021 films, is not a song or a dialogue scene or even a traditional overture; it’s a dance. And it’s not just a dance — it’s a plunge into a world in which street gangs in 1950s New York launch into the air in bursts of aggressive leaps and exhilarating turns. In Steven Spielberg’s reimagining, the Jets rove through their neighborhood as it is being demolished, their tours and pirouettes not only expressing their rage but also a sense of helplessness against larger forces at hand.
The dance in Spielberg’s “West Side Story” is different from what we’ve seen in movie musicals in the last half century. The film marks a stunning retrieval of a relationship between Hollywood, Broadway, and the ballet world not really seen since, well, the original Jerome Robbins-Robert Wise “West Side Story.
The dance in Spielberg’s “West Side Story” is different from what we’ve seen in movie musicals in the last half century. The film marks a stunning retrieval of a relationship between Hollywood, Broadway, and the ballet world not really seen since, well, the original Jerome Robbins-Robert Wise “West Side Story.
- 3/2/2022
- by Luci Marzola
- Indiewire
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Tonight, tonight, the critically-acclaimed musical update of West Side Story finally hit the silver screen, and dances onto Disney+ and HBO Max on March 2. After being delayed for nearly a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, West Side Story premiered in theaters on December 10th.
Buy:
West Side Story Tickets
at
Fandango
Steven Spielberg’s take on West Side Story touts all-star Broadway veterans like screenwriter Tony Kushner,...
Tonight, tonight, the critically-acclaimed musical update of West Side Story finally hit the silver screen, and dances onto Disney+ and HBO Max on March 2. After being delayed for nearly a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, West Side Story premiered in theaters on December 10th.
Buy:
West Side Story Tickets
at
Fandango
Steven Spielberg’s take on West Side Story touts all-star Broadway veterans like screenwriter Tony Kushner,...
- 3/2/2022
- by Sage Anderson
- Rollingstone.com
Nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture! Bring Home Steven Spielberg’s Masterful Reimagining of West Side Story on Digital March 2nd and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD March 15th
Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg presents an inspired reimagining of the beloved musical West Side Story. The film that critics celebrate as “electrifying” and “a total triumph” has been nominated for 7 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress and 11 Critics’ Choice Awards. West Side Story is also Certified-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Rejoice in the spectacular new choreography alongside the iconic songs – plus see astonishing all-new footage of Spielberg at work in documentary filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau’s revealing “The Stories of West Side Story” – by adding 20th Century Studios’ West Side Story to your musical collection on Digital March 2 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD March 15. West Side Story will also be available on Disney+ starting...
Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg presents an inspired reimagining of the beloved musical West Side Story. The film that critics celebrate as “electrifying” and “a total triumph” has been nominated for 7 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress and 11 Critics’ Choice Awards. West Side Story is also Certified-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Rejoice in the spectacular new choreography alongside the iconic songs – plus see astonishing all-new footage of Spielberg at work in documentary filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau’s revealing “The Stories of West Side Story” – by adding 20th Century Studios’ West Side Story to your musical collection on Digital March 2 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD March 15. West Side Story will also be available on Disney+ starting...
- 2/22/2022
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Ariana DeBose is one of the biggest breakout stars of this awards season thanks to her performance in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” The actress has scored nominations left and right for the musical, and she’s hoping that the Screen Actors Guild Awards will mark her first televised victory.
DeBose is a first-time SAG Award nominee. After working in the theater world for years, she piqued audiences’ interests when she was featured as “The Bullet” in the Broadway sensation “Hamilton.” She followed up that performance by embodying disco icon Donna Summer in “Summer,” which led to a Tony nomination. Hollywood scooped her up thereafter, and DeBose showed off impressive vocals in “The Prom” before nabbing the coveted role of Anita in this “West Side Story” adaptation.
DeBose has plenty of opportunities in the film to showcase her range of talents. She leads one of the musical’s biggest crowd-pleasers,...
DeBose is a first-time SAG Award nominee. After working in the theater world for years, she piqued audiences’ interests when she was featured as “The Bullet” in the Broadway sensation “Hamilton.” She followed up that performance by embodying disco icon Donna Summer in “Summer,” which led to a Tony nomination. Hollywood scooped her up thereafter, and DeBose showed off impressive vocals in “The Prom” before nabbing the coveted role of Anita in this “West Side Story” adaptation.
DeBose has plenty of opportunities in the film to showcase her range of talents. She leads one of the musical’s biggest crowd-pleasers,...
- 2/17/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated remake of “West Side Story” is coming to Disney Plus and HBO Max next month.
The movie will debut on Disney Plus in the U.S. and most international markets on March 2, 2022, when it also will be streaming on HBO Max (in the U.S. only). It will launch in Taiwan on March 9 and Japan on March 30. In addition, ABC’s one-hour special “Something’s Coming: West Side Story – A Special Edition of 20/20’” is available to stream on Disney Plus now.
On Tuesday, Spielberg’s “West Side Story” picked up seven Academy Awards nominations, including for best picture, best director and best supporting actress (Ariana DeBose).
Streaming rights for the 20th Century Studios release are being split between Disney Plus and HBO Max U.S. under a pact giving WarnerMedia dibs on a selection of the Fox film slate through the end of 2022.
Directed by Spielberg...
The movie will debut on Disney Plus in the U.S. and most international markets on March 2, 2022, when it also will be streaming on HBO Max (in the U.S. only). It will launch in Taiwan on March 9 and Japan on March 30. In addition, ABC’s one-hour special “Something’s Coming: West Side Story – A Special Edition of 20/20’” is available to stream on Disney Plus now.
On Tuesday, Spielberg’s “West Side Story” picked up seven Academy Awards nominations, including for best picture, best director and best supporting actress (Ariana DeBose).
Streaming rights for the 20th Century Studios release are being split between Disney Plus and HBO Max U.S. under a pact giving WarnerMedia dibs on a selection of the Fox film slate through the end of 2022.
Directed by Spielberg...
- 2/9/2022
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) and Simu Liu (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”) sat down for a virtual chat for Variety’s Actors on Actors, presented by Amazon Studios. For more, click here.
Prior to 2021, Ariana DeBose and Simu Liu had certainly worked as actors. DeBose was a Tony nominee (“Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”) who’d appeared in Netflix’s “The Prom” and Apple TV Plus’ “Schmigadoon!” Liu was a former stuntman who’d co-starred on the Canadian sitcom “Kim’s Convenience.”
But after their breakout roles last year — DeBose as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s reimagining of “West Side Story” and Liu as Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios’ superhero blockbuster “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” — they’ve both suddenly become household names.
Simu Liu: We’ll get to the amazingness that is “West Side Story” and how incredible you are in it.
Prior to 2021, Ariana DeBose and Simu Liu had certainly worked as actors. DeBose was a Tony nominee (“Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”) who’d appeared in Netflix’s “The Prom” and Apple TV Plus’ “Schmigadoon!” Liu was a former stuntman who’d co-starred on the Canadian sitcom “Kim’s Convenience.”
But after their breakout roles last year — DeBose as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s reimagining of “West Side Story” and Liu as Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios’ superhero blockbuster “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” — they’ve both suddenly become household names.
Simu Liu: We’ll get to the amazingness that is “West Side Story” and how incredible you are in it.
- 2/4/2022
- by Adam B. Vary
- Variety Film + TV
After a decade of working hard on Broadway, Ariana DeBose is enjoying her time in the limelight. Tonight, she hosts “Saturday Night Live,” a major accomplishment for a newly famous actor.
For playing Anita in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of “West Side Story,” the 30-year-old took home the Golden Globe for supporting actress on Sunday. She is also nominated for a Critics’ Choice and Screen Actors Guild Award, and looks to have a good shot at this year’s Oscars.
“It’s wild! Because I have been working [for a long time]. This experience makes me feel as if I’ve been hiding away on Broadway,” DeBose told Variety after receiving her SAG nomination on Wednesday. “But I haven’t been hiding! I was just working, doing my thing.”
“Doing her thing” has included her 2011 Broadway debut as Nautica in “Bring it On: The Musical” and performing as the Bullet in the original ensemble of “Hamilton,...
For playing Anita in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of “West Side Story,” the 30-year-old took home the Golden Globe for supporting actress on Sunday. She is also nominated for a Critics’ Choice and Screen Actors Guild Award, and looks to have a good shot at this year’s Oscars.
“It’s wild! Because I have been working [for a long time]. This experience makes me feel as if I’ve been hiding away on Broadway,” DeBose told Variety after receiving her SAG nomination on Wednesday. “But I haven’t been hiding! I was just working, doing my thing.”
“Doing her thing” has included her 2011 Broadway debut as Nautica in “Bring it On: The Musical” and performing as the Bullet in the original ensemble of “Hamilton,...
- 1/15/2022
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
In the ever-growing list of awards shows, American Cinematheque is throwing its clout behind a new one they call Tribute to the Crafts, an in-person celebration of the artisans behind the scenes who don’t get nearly the attention during the season that their above-the-line colleagues seem to. The ceremony, which will try to rectify this oversight, is set for Wednesday January 26, at the Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.
The new show will “honor those who are at the very heart of filmmaking, and have exhibited extraordinary work behind the camera, over the past year.” The evening will celebrate individuals in fourteen categories covering all aspects of filmmaking and will showcase clips from each of their respective films. The audience for this invitation-only event will be composed of members from AMPAS, PGA, WGA, DGA, SAG-AFTRA, BAFTA and Critics Choice.
“Tribute to the Crafts is the perfect complement to...
The new show will “honor those who are at the very heart of filmmaking, and have exhibited extraordinary work behind the camera, over the past year.” The evening will celebrate individuals in fourteen categories covering all aspects of filmmaking and will showcase clips from each of their respective films. The audience for this invitation-only event will be composed of members from AMPAS, PGA, WGA, DGA, SAG-AFTRA, BAFTA and Critics Choice.
“Tribute to the Crafts is the perfect complement to...
- 12/17/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The American Cinematheque announced today the honorees for the inaugural Tribute to the Crafts, which will take place in-person on Jan. 26, at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Calif.
Tribute to The Crafts will honor those who are at the very heart of filmmaking and have exhibited extraordinary work behind the camera, over the past year. Among the artisans being honored are “The Power of the Dog” cinematographer Ari Wegner, “Cruella” costume designer Jenny Beavan, “Dune” editor Joe Walker, composer Nicholas Britell for “Don’t Look Up” and the hair and makeup team behind “House of Gucci” — Jana Carboni, Giuliano Mariano, Göran Lundström, Sarah Tanno and Frederic Aspiras.
“Tribute to the Crafts is the perfect complement to our year-round programming of panels featuring creative talent in front of and behind the camera. Acknowledging these individuals who made these extraordinary films, during the often challenging circumstances over this past year is a true testament to their art,...
Tribute to The Crafts will honor those who are at the very heart of filmmaking and have exhibited extraordinary work behind the camera, over the past year. Among the artisans being honored are “The Power of the Dog” cinematographer Ari Wegner, “Cruella” costume designer Jenny Beavan, “Dune” editor Joe Walker, composer Nicholas Britell for “Don’t Look Up” and the hair and makeup team behind “House of Gucci” — Jana Carboni, Giuliano Mariano, Göran Lundström, Sarah Tanno and Frederic Aspiras.
“Tribute to the Crafts is the perfect complement to our year-round programming of panels featuring creative talent in front of and behind the camera. Acknowledging these individuals who made these extraordinary films, during the often challenging circumstances over this past year is a true testament to their art,...
- 12/17/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Prolific Broadway star Ariana DeBose first encountered “West Side Story” when she was seven or eight years old, sitting in her grandmother’s living room. “I was totally enamored with the woman in the purple dress who was just dancing with this reckless abandon,” DeBose tells Gold Derby. “I so desperately wanted to do that because I think I came out of the womb dancing. I just loved it and I loved that she sort of looked like me. I guess it felt like it gave me permission to try and do things and move very freely.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Decades later, DeBose is now playing that “woman in the purple dress,” picking up the mantle from Oscar-winning legend Rita Moreno as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s fresh take on “West Side Story.” The actress, a Tony nominee for “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” who has also...
Decades later, DeBose is now playing that “woman in the purple dress,” picking up the mantle from Oscar-winning legend Rita Moreno as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s fresh take on “West Side Story.” The actress, a Tony nominee for “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” who has also...
- 12/6/2021
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Directing his first musical, Spielberg moves into the big roomy space of a Broadway-meets-Hollywood classic, rearranges the furniture, and gives it all a fresh coat of desaturated, bombed-out-city-block, gritty-as-reality paint. He makes it his own. At the same time, Spielberg stays reverently true to what generations have loved about “West Side Story”: the swoon factor, the yearning beauty of those songs, the hypnotic jackknife ballet of ’50s delinquents dancing out their aggression on the New York streets. There are scenes in Spielberg’s version that will melt you, scenes that will make your pulse race, and scenes where you simply sit back and revel in the big-spirited grandeur of it all.
The setting is the Upper West Side in 1957, something the film lets us know with a wink that nods to how Spielberg and Kushner are going to tinker with the material. Robert Wise’s 1961 screen version opened with...
The setting is the Upper West Side in 1957, something the film lets us know with a wink that nods to how Spielberg and Kushner are going to tinker with the material. Robert Wise’s 1961 screen version opened with...
- 12/2/2021
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
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