Musical based on Sufjan Stevens’ ‘Illinois’ album to premiere this summer

Sufjan Stevens’ signature album “Illinois,” which references elements of the state’s history and geography in its rich lyrics, is coming to the stage.

A musical also called “Illinois” will have its world premiere June 23-July 2 at the Fisher Center at Bard College in New York State’s Hudson Valley, the college announced. It will be directed by Tony Award winner Justin Peck, who also choreographs and co-wrote the story with Jackie Sibblies Drury.

Deadline reports that a Chicago booking of the musical will be announced soon. No theater was specified, but Chicago Shakespeare Theater is among the companies that commissioned the show.

A statement from Bard calls the show “an ecstatic pageant of storytelling, theater, dance, and live music.”

Stevens’ album, widely acclaimed on its release in 2005, includes the popular road-trip tune “Chicago” as well as songs musing about such topics as Carl Sandburg, John Wayne Gacy, the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the city of Decatur.

“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 Bard website says.

Director Peck won a Tony for his choreography of a 2018 “Carousel” revival. He also choreographed Steven Spielberg’s 2021 “West Side Story” movie.

Co-writer Drury was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her 2018 play “Fairview.”