Eli Makes a Scene Out of Being a ‘Stage Girl’
Article and Photos by Jack Iboshi
As Eli stepped onto the Chop Shop stage on August 20th, the industrial Wicker Park venue was immediately recast as an Off-Broadway theater. On the opening night of her Strange Girl tour, the rising star brought more than a setlist to Chicago: she showed up with an overflowing suitcase and a singular vision.
Eli packages her catalog in a production comparable to a jukebox musical, depicting the “Stage Girl” experience with prerecorded footage, dialogue, and even co-stars. Despite the unique builds and distinct worlds of each song, she tastefully blends them into one greater storytelling arc. From navigating fame and losing a lover to, at one point, attempting to sell class consciousness, the show’s plot trajectory and structure are inherently meta and autobiographical.
Mirroring the duality of her debut album, Eli’s performance can be camp and yet also look it right in the eye. Her unserious lyrics—“Shawn Mendes, I know what you did last summer”—make it hardly surprising when she eventually brings out a pink inflatable couch, chats with a drag queen and lets the audience pass around a bag of Tostitos. Yet her moments of absurdity should never overshadow her virtuosity beneath. On Nobody’s Girl, she showcases her pen with the devastating line, “When the end of the night is the end of the world,” before dropping down sobbing behind the racks of dressing-room curtains.
Her dramatics and remarkably smooth transitions from songs to scenes keep the audience incognizant of the line between what was meticulously scripted with the funds of a major label and a genuine mental breakdown on stage.
While the stagecraft and plotline could easily rival any NYU theater major, there is a clear reason why she ultimately studied music instead of acting. Eli’s vocal command places her within the lineage of powerhouse singers like Aretha Franklin and Mariah Carey, both clear inspirations who appeared on her pre-show playlist. Almost every song became an opportunity to push against her prepared backing tracks, boasting glaring riffs and holding piercing high notes. During Feel Your Rain, she effortlessly glided through the song’s wide range and momentous bridge, while prancing around the stage with the weightlessness of a drifting dandelion.
Eli’s concert is preposterously theatrical, but the puppetry isn't there to mask a lack of musical ability; instead, it gives Eli a framework for elevating her hits and showcasing her underlying nuanced talent.
Following the release of her debut album "Stage Girl," she has continued to build momentum onstage with her headlining Strange Girl tour, alongside upcoming dates that include an opening slot for Zara Larsson and one of the very select slots at Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fest. Fans can catch her continuing the Strange Girl tour in Toronto, New York and Los Angeles before she brings her Stage Girl live show to crowds across Europe and the UK. To stream her debut album or to catch her live, visit www.journalofadoll.net/
Photo Pass: Eli At Chop Shop
