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How ‘Illinoise,’ a Non-Traditional Musical Inspired by the Sufjan Stevens Album, Takes a Few Cues From ‘A Chorus Line’


Director-choreographer Justin Peck and Pulitzer-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury discuss their nontraditional new stage project 'Illinoise.'

The creators of “Illinoise,” the new stage show inspired by the 2005 Sufjan Stevens album “Illinois,” are the first to admit that the production isn’t a musical in the most traditional sense of the word. However, speaking in a conversation with his “Illinoise” collaborator, Pulitzer-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury(“Fairview”), Peck noted that he found inspiration in one of the most familiar Broadway musicals out there: “A Chorus Line.” Now premiering at Chicago Shakespeare Theater ahead of a March run at the Park Avenue Armory, “Illinoise” revolves around a group of hikers who convene around a campfire to tell their stories.

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