ILLINOISE Reviews- Page 3

[Leaf Coneybear]

Posted: 4/25/24 at 11:08pm

Jordan Catalano said: "I am NOT a fan of modern dance. It's just not my jam. I can appreciate it for what it is but it's not something I've ever been able to get into. So going into this tonight I was happy it was only 90 mins - in and out and then I'll have seen everything this season. As we stood up, my friend asked if I was ok. I guess I had been audibly sobbing, my face totally wet. I haven't been moved by something to this degree in quite a while. And like I said to him, I might not be able to tell you EXACTLY what the whole thing was about, I can tell you how it made me feel. And it absolutely destroyed me.

Five stars. Just remarkable storytelling."

I saw this in Chicago and am the same way - I don't like modern / danceheavy shows, but wanted to see it before it tranferred.

Granted, I had had a bit of an emotional day beforehand, but I was in tears at multiple points throughout the show. And I haven't cried at a show in quite a while. 

 

[Markie27]

Posted: 4/25/24 at 11:23pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "dramamama611 said: "I have an absolutely silly question: How is this pronounced? With or without the 'S'. I've been assuming WITH, because of the inclusion of the E. (Ill-i-noise) But since the title refers to the state, maybe not.

Anyone know??"

It’s pronounced as written (ill-i-noise) and is an allusion to the cover art of Sufjan’s album Illinois (pronounced like the state), which says “Come on! Feel the Illinoise!”"


also just adding to the perfect response colorthehours  made is when I watched the interview that Justin Peck made during the promotion of the show at the armory he pronounced it as ill-i-noise as well.

 

 

Updated On: 4/25/24 at 11:23 PM

[Miss10036]

Posted: 4/25/24 at 11:30pm

By the way, in addition to the normal window cards, they also sell limited quantities of five other window cards at the theatre.  I'm not sure if they sell all five at once or cycle them from day to day.  Thought it's a nifty idea that makes it feel like more of an event, and I was certainly tempted.  Someone posted a photo of them on Reddit here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/1ccaiiw/illinoise_windowcards/

Side note: I'd kill for Stereophonic to have band posters like this.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/24 at 11:31pm

As mentioned above

 

 

Updated On: 4/25/24 at 11:31 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/25/24 at 11:33pm

Forgot to add, I spoke to cast afterwards and they are doing a cast recording.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/25/24 at 11:33pm

I overheard the merch desk dude say something about sales being limited.  I "think" he said they limited how many they sold at each performance per design.  (They're like 50 bucks!) 

Updated On: 4/26/24 at 11:33 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 12:01am

Embargo lift on reviews is 1pm tomorrow according to Adam Feldman. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 3:37am

Jordan Catalano said: "Forgot to add, I spoke to cast afterwards and they are doing a cast recording."

Because I'm seemingly obsessed with this beauty of a show and an insomniac, I re-read this last page of posts and audibly gasped to see this. Since Jordan and I posted at the same time, I didn't notice it earlier. 

I cannot wait. And yes, the original will suffice perfectly until release. 

 

As long as I get back into the St James again. And again.

Updated On: 4/26/24 at 03:37 AM

[Markie27]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 4:38am

dramamama611 said: "Jordan Catalano said: "Forgot to add, I spoke to cast afterwards and they are doing a cast recording."

Because I'm seemingly obsessed with this beauty of a show and an insomniac, I re-read this last page of posts and audibly gasped to see this. Since Jordan and I posted at the same time, I didn't notice it earlier.

I cannot wait. And yes, the original will suffice perfectly until release.

As long as I get back into the St James again. And again."

Glad to hear this as well!  And I am obsessed with this show as well.  And every time I like a show I want to learn more and more about its history and production.  And an interesting fact I read of is that one of the sublime vocalists of the show, Shara Nova, was an original member of the band of Sufjan Stevens when he was promoting the album.  So while the original concept album is a masterpiece, I know the cast album would be in great hands knowing that with Shara Nova and another Sufjan collaborator Timo Andres there (who have also worked with him with his two albums I believe), you would know they would honor the magnum opus.  I CAN’T WAIT!  I hope they make a vinyl.

Updated On: 4/26/24 at 04:38 AM

[yyys]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 8:46am

Shara is in the video at 1:55........she also opened the show I saw in 2005!
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKZYb_S_KBg

Updated On: 4/26/24 at 08:46 AM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 1:23pm

Reviews coming in ... 

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Review-Roundup-ILLINOISE-Arrives-on-Broadway-20240426

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 1:33pm

Deadline is positive.

https://deadline.com/feature/broadway-show-reviews-spring-2024-1235866317/

Deadline’s takeaway: The final Broadway production of this crazy busy 2023-24 season is also one of its most exhilarating: Illinoise is a thrilling and absolutely gorgeous dance celebration of singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 early-career masterpiece LP Illinois, using a large cast of dancer-actors – and three excellent singers, along with that extra “e” at the end of the show title – to flesh out the loose story that might (or might not) have stayed hidden in the grooves of the concept album all along."

Hollywood Reporter is positive.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/illinoise-review-sufjan-stevens-justin-peck-broadway-theater-1235882171/

Illinoise will be a religious experience.

It’s hard to single out individual dancers in such a stellar company, but Ubeda is wonderful, channeling Henry’s innocence as much as the happiness or devastation that envelops him at different points.

The lead dancers are also more than capable actors — Cook makes Carl a blond golden boy, with so much magnetic energy that watching him break under the weight of ineffable sadness rips your heart out. No less moving is Diaz, who embodies both the pathos and the dignity with which Shelby accepts her fate.

Theatremania is positive.  

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-iillinoise-i-on-broadway-makes-audiences-hearts-dance-to-sufjan-stevens_1738430/

In a mostly dire season for musicals, the ones that actually have an imagination automatically stick out. They might not work all the way, but I’ll take a show that’s trying to do something over a chintzy production which has no discernible point of view. Justin Peck’s folk ballet Illinoise, an eleventh-hour entry into this Tony Awards race (so late that its first preview and opening night were the same 2pm Wednesday matinee), is perhaps the most original new musical of the past year.

Ubeda and Cook have scintillating chemistry, and they wear as much emotion on their faces as they hold in their bodies. It’s no wonder they both received Outer Critics Circle Award nominations earlier in the week — without saying a word, you understand their whole journey in just the language of their movement.

Updated On: 4/26/24 at 01:33 PM

[JeffDaEgg2]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 1:44pm

I will push back on the thought that the stage is overly high.  I sat second row last night (seat A3 via lotto) and while yes, it is too close to appreciate the choreography in a big picture view, it was nice to complement my viewing at the Armory from the last row.  Either way, the stage was much lower than many other theatres and I didn't have to crane my neck.  Worth the $45, in my opinion!  Also, count me in on the "Illinoise for Best Musical" team; I could easily see this on a weekly basis and still be moved by it.

[TheatreAddict]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 2:14pm

I had a few sightline issues at the St. James. The audience rake in the orchestra isn't very good for seeing the stage floor and, as with a lot of dance, a good part of ILLINOISE takes place on or near the floor. I'm tall and the tall person in front of me forced me to do a lot of bobbing and weaving to follow the action. However, having enjoyed it at the Armory, I much preferred it at the St. James where the intimacy of the space and the acoustics allowed me to appreciate even more of the nuances in the dancing and acting of the piece, as well as the music and lyrics. I love this show and I hope it does well in its transfer.

[Markie27]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 2:59pm

I was kinda dreading this but I knew this will happen - the eventual mixed or negative (thankfully it’s mixed) review from a critic (this time from David Finkle of The New York Stage Review) criticizing the narrative and trying to make sense of the other stand alone stories and connect the plot of the show.  I’m glad from the same site no less Roma Torre provided her brilliant insight on her view about the book.  
 

I was hoping for an across the board perfect rave reviews.  Looks like only Merrily We Roll Along, Appropriate and Mary Jane will get that distinction this season.  No original musical was able to do it this year.  I’m still happy about these reviews.  I wonder if the New York Times would review this show again.  Still waiting for their Broadway review.  

[Bobster159]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 3:10pm

I’d be surprised if the Times reviewed this again. They’ve already done so twice (very positive from their theater critic, quite negatively from their dance critic). You never know though, stranger things have happened.

I’m still surprised so many seem to be declaring this a musical. I suspect the New York City Ballet would be surprised to hear that they’ve actually been performing musicals for years. It’s a great show and it’s a pity the Tonys don’t have a category for shows that don’t fit inside the standard boxes like the Oliviers do. I hope this will encourage more people to check out more dance, there’s plenty of amazing stuff in that world that doesn’t get the audience it deserves.

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 3:32pm

Bobster, I'd missed that NYT dance review. A very different perspective.

"Peck, the resident choreographer of New York City Ballet, has been creating community dances that smell like teen spirit for ages. But what started out as a choreographic signature, in which he drew on the talents of ballet dancers around his own age, has become tired. His choreography, especially since the pandemic, has lost its way, its beat, its spine...

The movement in “Illinoise” is vague, placing more importance on shapes than on fully dimensional choreography... These are all accomplished dancers, but they can’t elevate choreography that seems reminiscent of 1980s music videos."

‘Illinoise’: A Place of Overflowing Emotion, but Little Dance Spirit - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

 

 

 

[Markie27]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 3:33pm

I love this!  The Los Angeles Times review about the book is spot on!
 

“Admittedly, the book by playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury and director and choreographer Justin Peck is more of an evolving scenario than a discernible drama. But the dreamlike production is thematically anchored. A compromise is struck between the theater’s proclivity for story and dance’s penchant for abstraction, allowing audience members to connect narrative strands in their own way.

Personally, I was relieved not to bear witness to another forced marriage between script and score. When the book musical works — as it does gloriously this season in the revival of “Merrily We Roll Alone”— there’s nothing more satisfying. But for every Stephen Sondheim masterpiece there’s a barrage of jukebox and movie musicals eager to cash in on the forgiving nostalgia of theatergoers.

“Illinoise” is conceived holistically. The work’s structure seems to have organically arisen from artists responding to one another, inspiration begetting inspiration. The result, grounded in love, is path-clearing”

Thank you Charles McNully!
 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 4:53pm

Loving these reviews. Can't wait to see it tomorrow.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 5:27pm

DTLI Consensus: Who knew that an indie-folk ballet dealing with topics such as zombies, Superman, and suicide would be one of the musical highlights of the season?

11 positive (including the NYT), 1 mixed. 

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/illinoise/

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/26/24 at 9:14pm

‘Illinoise’ review: Moving Broadway show is about love, loss — and dance

Ubeda and Cook, who respectively played Mr. Mistoffelees in “Cats” and a Newsie on Broadway, are gorgeously expressive performers in their faces and movements as they weave between each other and then achingly separate. 

Musical theater choreography is a differently fantastic art, of course, but there is real elation in watching brilliant dancers like these get to do what they obviously dream of doing. That passion radiates through this entire cast and show.

And Peck, whose only other Broadway show was 2018’s “Carousel,” strips away any perceived pretension from dance. His creations are graceful and precise, without a doubt, yet also angsty, celebratory and enveloping when paired with the reverie of Stevens’ music. 

https://nypost.com/2024/04/26/entertainment/illinoise-review-moving-broadway-show-is-about-love-loss-and-dance/

[sppunk]

Posted: 4/27/24 at 1:18am

Any chance this will extend? I can’t make it back before it closes and for next week I bought Cabaret tickets months ago when I shouldn’t have seemingly wasted my money and got tickets for this. Grrr 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/27/24 at 4:50am

"wasted"? Have you already decided it's not worth it? While not perfect, Cabaret is still quite good. 

I don't know if it can extend in its current home but if it it sells well, I think it could happen .. even if it has to again, relocate. 

Updated On: 4/27/24 at 04:50 AM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 4/27/24 at 8:06am

sppunk said: "Any chance this will extend? I can’t make it back before it closes and for next week I bought Cabaret tickets months ago when I shouldn’t have seemingly wastedmy money and got tickets for this. Grrr"

i don't think they'll decide on that until the Tony Awards. I'm sure there will be another Bway house they could transfer to in Sept.

[sppunk]

Posted: 4/27/24 at 9:13am

dramamama611 said: ""wasted"? Have you already decided it's not worth it? While not perfect, Cabaret is still quite good.

I don't know if it can extend in its current home but if it it sells well, I think it could happen .. even if it has to again, relicate."

Wasted was indeed a poor word choice. But is I’d have gkttten tickets for this instead of Cabaret which isn’t my fav show by any stretch and I’ve seen countless times.