INTERVIEW: Jeanette Delgado travels to ‘Illinoise’ via NYC
Photo: Jeanette Delgado portrays the character of Jo Daviess in Illinoise on Broadway. Photo courtesy of the artist / Provided by Polk & Co. with permission.
Jeanette Delgado has been on a long journey with the celebrated dance show Illinoise, which continues its limited engagement at the St. James Theatre through Aug. 10. The show is a powerful, poetic story based on the concept album by Sufjan Stevens. Justin Peck, a Tony Award winner this year, brings multiple narratives to life with his choreography, direction and book, which he co-wrote with Jackie Sibblies Drury.
Theatergoers at the St. James watch a group of friends congregate around a campfire as stories are told and truths are laid bare. Delgado plays the character of Jo Daviess, and the audience learns about her role through a song centered on zombies. There’s also a love story between Henry (Ricky Ubeda) and Douglas (Ahmad Simmons), plus painful memories of lost love involving the characters of Carl (Ben Cook) and Shelby (Gaby Diaz).
“We are all very fortunate,” Delgado said in a recent phone interview about the journey these cast members have been on. “We all had worked in some form or another in different projects with Justin Peck, and so since this was a passion project that he didn’t know where it was going, he just reached out. … So we all just met up at a studio, and he started creating.”
Those initial creative sessions led to two sold-out runs of the show, including one earlier this year at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. At the last minute, the show then transferred to Broadway, racked up some Tony nominations and even won an award for Peck.
“It’s changed a lot since the initial creations,” Delgado said. “Some choreography and movement is still there, a lot of it is, but the story shifted a lot when Jackie Sibblies Drury came on board and started to help hone in on the different stories and especially the main storyline with the character of Henry. But then once we opened in Chicago, there have been small tweaks and some changes. Like some of the order of the story switched, things like that, but for the most part it’s stayed the same.”
Delgado comes from the world of ballet, having been a principal dancer with Miami City Ballet. She’s also worked with Twyla Tharp and appeared in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. In addition to portraying Jo in Illinoise, she also has the responsibility of being one of the company’s dance captains, which was a new role for her.
“It’s kind of different for us because we’re on stage, and a lot of times dance captains are part of the swings or more off-stage, watching everything, getting notes, helping everything stay tight choreographically with all the dance moves,” she said. “But, I’m onstage every night, so it’s been a little tricky, a little bit challenging to figure out what the role is. What we also do is we show up to rehearsals during the day with the swings. We have a cast of six swings, and we help them rehearse and make sure they’re feeling supported and knowing all the five different roles they have to have in their head and their bodies. And then for me, I’ve also felt that it’s been an emotional support role just being there for my castmates when they’re going through something challenging. We’ve been through a lot of challenges, especially coming to Broadway.”
Illinoise has been a departure for Delgado’s career, a most welcome departure. She’s being tasked with not only dancing and making Stevens’ music come alive on stage, but there’s also characterization, acting, drama and depth.
“From the very beginning, it was like, oh, OK, we’re not just dancing and doing steps, which you never are as a dancer,” she said. “But this was a whole other level. There are words to the movements, so there’s so much depth behind what you’re saying with each movement. So that was the first thing that just made me feel so much in love with this piece. … [Also], I grew up watching the ballet Romeo and Juliet, and it’s always the traditional male and female kissing. It’s beautiful, but we don’t often get to see this beautiful love story in dance between two men. And they kiss. Especially in the rehearsals at the beginning, every time they kissed, we would all just cheer and freak out. It’s so beautiful.”
She added: “We start out with Jacksonville, which is this female character telling her powerful stories about her ancestors, and it goes right to me. So it’s two female-empowered stories back to back that kick us off, which that feels also very important and special to be a part of. So, yeah, it’s a lot, and we all feel like we get to share something that is very unique and powerful.”
Delgado’s particular character has a sequence that is centered on reevaluating historical figures and exploring some of the systemic injustices that still pervade society today.
“She’s trying to also find where she belongs in this country as a woman, as a daughter of immigrants, so for me, I have a lot to pull from, especially in today’s world with the election coming up,” Delgado said. “Just trying to really shed light on the truths that sometimes we don’t learn as children, and she as an adult is now trying to really understand and uncover some truths and be honest with what’s really going on. It scares her, and it starts to be overwhelming. And she feels like she can’t take it all on on her own. … This is not about one person’s struggle. Can we come together and fight these things together? Those are some of the themes and things I think about and the character goes through.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Illinoise, featuring Jeanette Delgado, continues through Aug. 10 at the St. James Theatre on Broadway. Click here for more information and tickets.
