Justin Peck on ‘Illinoise,’ Spielberg, Dance, and His Movie Directing Debut

Justin Peck knows the campfire at the center of his Broadway dance-led show Illinoise (St. James Theatre, April 24 to Aug. 10) very well indeed. It doesn’t just warm the hands of the characters, and encourage the telling of stories, including the tale of love and tragedy related by lead character Henry (Ricky Ubeda)—it also stands for the power of theater that has nourished Peck himself, one of America’s most celebrated living choreographers, since he was a little boy.

“We’ve all had the experience of the campfire in some form in some way—the magnetism of it, the opening up, the comfort, and desire to share stories,” Peck told The Daily Beast. “In some sense, the power of the sharing of stories and the collectivity of that sharing finally helps save Henry.”

“For me, too. I was like a lonely theater kid growing up. I felt that feeling of togetherness whenever I would go to see a musical or a play seated with others. We were all experiencing something. It felt like it was moving us emotionally. And so I think Illinoise does have that ‘meta’ aspect to it, around the experience of theater. The catharsis of watching a performance is akin to what Henry goes through in the moment of having his community around him.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.