"Inside Light" at the Park Avenue Armory is a theatrical presentation of electronic music from Karlheinz Stockhausen's monumental seven-opera cycle "Licht." The immersive experience, featuring performances by Stockhausen's widow Kathinka Pasveer, uses light, video, and sound to dissolve the audience's sense of space and time. The event offers a rare glimpse into Stockhausen's complex and influential work.
Justin Peck's "Illinoise," a reimagining of Sufjan Stevens's concept album "Illinois," features dancers who also act, resulting in a hybrid performance that struggles to reveal their true selves. The show, with Broadway ambitions, lacks a clear identity and is criticized for drowning in sentimentality and lacking a compelling story. While the music shines with new arrangements and talented vocalists, the dancers are left with little to do but mirror the lyrics, leading to a production that falls short in building a real sense of community through dance.
