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Staging Sufjan


How playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury turned a classic indie-rock album into a Justin Peck–choreographed dance piece that’s now Broadway bound.

From left: Jada German, Domenica Fossati, Christine Flores, Elijah Lyons, Rachel Lockhart, Justin Peck, Sean Peter Forte, and Brandt Martinez. She had fond memories of Stevens’s record — a sweeping concept album that’s equal parts whimsical and melancholy — but couldn’t envision it as a traditional musical. More of a dance-theater piece than a musical and without any spoken dialogue, Illinoise focuses on the story of a young man, played by Ricky Ubeda, who’s dealing with coming-of-age heartbreak.

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