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Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 concept album “Illinois” enjoys cult status for its lush orchestrations and inventive lyrics. Tony Award-winner and Resident Choreographer of the New York City Ballet, Justin Peck, has transformed the album, with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of 2018’s “Fairview” Jackie Sibblies Drury, into a full-length theatrical performance that blends dance, theater, live music and storytelling into a breathtakingly emotional coming-of-age journey. “Illinoise” was presented at the Bard Fisher Center in summer of 2023 as a SummerScape commission. The Bard staging and the off-Broadway production at Park Avenue Armory earlier this year were sold out, highly praised, and “Illinoise” transferred to the St. James Theatre on Broadway this month. Opening night was April 24 and the limited engagement is scheduled to end on August 10. This morning, it was announced that “Illinoise” has been nominated for 4 Tony Awards.

The Levin Brothers, Tony and Pete, are in the studio today to talk music and composing.

Pulitzer prize-winning poet PHILIP LEVINE. He grew up in Detroit and worked in the factories as a young man. He's probably best known for his 1992 book of poems about the working class, "What Work Is," (Knopf) which won a National Book Award. He has several volumes of poetry as well as a sort of memoir. He won the Pulitzer for his collection, "The Simple Truth" (Knopf). His forthcoming book (NOT OUT YET!!!) is "Unselected Poems." LEVINE is currently teaching at New York University. (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES THRU THE END OF THE SHOW).

Tony Trischka will be honoring Earl, pioneer of a unique three-finder banjo style, and one of the two most important figures in bluegrass…the other being Bill Monroe. He will do so at Tony Trischka's Earljam - A Tribute to Earl Scruggs at the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, MA on Saturday, June 29th at 8PM.

Writer KEN LEVINE (pronounced "Le-Vine"). He's an Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and has been head writer for two of television's greatest shows: MASH and Cheers. He trained himself to be a baseball announcer out of a childhood love for the game, and has written a new book about his season as a broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles: "It's Gone!...No, Wait a Minute" (Villard Books) He's now an announcer for the Seattle Mariners

The book "The Tony Awards: A Celebration of Excellence in Theatre" pays tribute to the magic that happens when the curtain goes up and Broadway's best and brightest step onto center stage.

Simon/Ketzel: Scott talks to our gardening guru, Ketzel Levine, who's attending Seattle's annual Northwest Flower and Garden Show. The show, which is bursting with the latest in floral design, is a reminder to frustrated gardeners that spring is just around the corner.

Scott talks to Weekend Edition's Gardening Commentator, Ketzel Levine, and author Michael Pollan about the social history of, and reflected by, roses. ("Second Nature: A Gardener's Education" by Michael Pollan. ALSO "The Writer in the Garden" -- selected writings about the garden on two audiocassettes. High Bridge Company, St. Paul, MN.)

Cardiology is the topic for this show. We welcome Dr. Sarah Levin of Nuvance Health. Sarah LaDuke hosts.

The conductor has sued New York's storied opera house after being fired earlier this week following the Met's internal investigation into allegations of sexual abusive conduct towards young artists.