A week ago, Illinoise won the Tony award for best choreography in a musical. Which felt about right. Because it is the most dancey of dance musicals. There is a book, by the Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury. There is even a programme booklet explaining the motivation of the central figure. But there are no words – apart from the lyrics from the Sufjan Stevens album, which forms the basis of a score brought to life by three brilliant onstage singers and orchestrations by Timo Andres. It is the steps by New York City Ballet’s Justin Peck that tell a story of loss, grief and final reconciliation.
At first, the show, which originated at the Fisher Center at Bard College, is disconcerting. You keep waiting for someone to speak. But gradually, Illinoise begins to cast its own spell, unfolding with a dreamlike emotional logic.
