Elijah Lyons, Shara Nova and Tasha Viets-VanLear Revealed as Vocalists in ILLINOISE

Elijah Lyons, Shara Nova and Tasha Viets-VanLear will transfer to Broadway as vocalists for the musical Illinoise, the theatrical adaptation of Grammy- and Oscar-nominated Sufjan Stevens’ concept album Illinois. All three vocalists were part of the Park Avenue Armory and Chicago Shakespeare Theater productions of Illinoise and Shara Nova sang and toured with Sufjan Stevens on the original Illinois album. “The vocalists do not seem to sing so much as pour emotion into our ears (New York Times)” with live music from Stevens’ beloved cult classic, choreography, and narratives centering on self-exploration and community, and a book by Tony Award-winning director-choreographer Justin Peck (Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, Carousel) and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury (Fairview, Marys Seacole).

The new Broadway musical will begin performances Wednesday, April 24 at 2PM at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street), which will also act as the engagement’s opening performance. Broadway reviews will be embargoed to Friday, April 26 at 1pm ET.  There will be a company celebration scheduled for a later date.

The strictly limited engagement will run through Saturday, August 10, 2024.

Illinoise moves to Broadway direct from two critically acclaimed sold-out productions at the Park Avenue Armory and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

A company of performers brings the original story to life, set to the entirety of Stevens’ album with new arrangements by composer, pianist, and frequent Stevens collaborator Timo Andres, ranging in style from DIY folk and indie rock to marching band and ambient electronics, performed by a live band and vocalists. Illinoise is a “mysterious, deeply moving and unforgettable dance-musical hybrid that explores the hot zone between childhood and adulthood when emotions can be at their most overwhelming. The vocalists do not seem to sing so much as pour emotion into our ears. (New York Times).”

The cast of Illinoise includes Yesenia Ayala (film West Side Story, on Broadway in West Side Story), Kara Chan (Twyla Tharp Dance, Pam Tanowitz Dance), Ben Cook (film West Side Story, on Broadway in West Side Story), Gaby Diaz (Winner of So You Think You Can Dance?, films Maestro, West Side Story, and tick, tick… BOOM!.), Jeanette Delgado (Miami City Ballet, West Side Story film), Carlos Falu (West Side Story film), Christine Flores (Dance Heginbotham, Pam Tanowitz Dance), Jada German (Twyla Tharp Dance, Metropolitan Opera), Zachary Gonder (Carmen at Lyric Opera, Pam Tanowitz Dance), Rachel Lockhart (Juilliard’s Choreographic Honors program, Jacob’s Pillow), Brandt Martinez (Aladdin), Dario Natarelli (New York City Center Encores!, Maestro film), Tyrone Reese (Juilliard School), Craig Salstein (American Ballet Theatre, associate choreographer for West Side Story and Maestro films, Carousel on Broadway), Ahmad Simmons (Fosse/Verdon on FX, Hadestown), Byron Tittle (Dorrance Dance, In the Heights film), Ricky Ubeda (winner of So You Think You Can Dance Season 11, FX’s Fosse/Verdon) and Alejandro Vargas (Juilliard School).

In addition to Stevens, Peck, and Drury, the creative team includes Music Director and Supervisor Nathan Koci, Music Arranger and Orchestrator Timo Andres, Scenic Designer Adam Rigg, Lighting Designer Brandon Stirling Baker, Costume Designers Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung, Sound Designer Garth MacAleavey, Props Designer Andrew Diaz, Mask Designer Julian Crouch, Associate Director and Choreographer Adriana Pierce, Associate Music Director Sean Peter Forte, Production Stage Manager Thomas Gates, Production Management by Aurora Productions and Brian Freeland, General Management by TT Partners.

With inclusion on several reviewer’s “best of the decade” lists including those of Paste, NPR, and Rolling Stone, Sufjan Stevens’ acclaimed 2005 concept album Illinois enjoys cult status for its lush orchestrations and wildly inventive portrayal of the state’s people, landscapes, and history, complete with UFOs, zombies, and predatory wasps. This musically ambitious work, which weaves together cinematic orchestral anthems, jazz riffs, and other musical influences, leads audiences on a mighty journey through the American heartland, from campfire storytelling to the edges of the cosmos.

Illinoise is produced on Broadway by Orin Wolf, Seaview, John Styles, David Binder, and executive producer Nate Koch. It is co-produced by Thomas O. Kriegsmann and the Fisher Center at Bard.

Illinoise was originally developed, produced and premiered at the Fisher Center at Bard. Illinoise is a co-commission of the Fisher Center at Bard, Park Avenue Armory, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Southbank Centre, TO Live, and the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC).

Biographies

ELIJAH LYONS is a NYC based singer/actor/multi-instrumentalist/composer/songwriter. New York: Illinoise (PAA), Rathskeller: A Musical Elixir (The New Ohio Theatre). Regional: Sing Street (Huntington Theater), Illinoise (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Studio Albums: The Singing Effect, Human Hands Are Cigarettes. Elijah is originally from Erie, Pennsylvania and is a New York Conservatory For Dramatic Arts graduate (recipient of the Sanford Meisner Scholarship). Instagram: @ElijahJoLyons

SHARA NOVA records as My Brightest Diamond and sang and toured with Sufjan Stevens on the original Illinoise album. Shara has composed, produced and performed on Grammy nominated choral and classical works. She composes operas, performs in rock clubs and sings with orchestras internationally. She writes a SubStack newsletter “Songs In 4 Dimensions” and will release the album “Fight the Real Terror” this year.

TASHA VIETS-VANLEAR Credits: Illinoise (Bard Summerscape, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, PAA); 2018 Alone at Last, and 2021 critically acclaimed Tell Me What You Miss the Most (Father/Daughter Records); appearances at Sled Island (Calgary, Canada), FORM (Arcosanti, Arizona), Pitchfork Music Festival (Chicago, Illinois). Viets-VanLear is a singer and songwriter who performs under the name Tasha. Her third album will be released via Bayonet Records in September 2024.