After garnering massive acclaim on and off-Broadway and becoming the most Tony nominated play of all time, the West End transfer of Stereophonic quickly became one of my most anticipated shows. Taking ten years to create and ultimately winning five Tonys, did Stereophonic feel like music to my ears or did it feel as messy as the band’s inner drama?
Before we get into this review, this not a biopic about the Stereophonics.
I was gifted a press ticket in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Stereophonic
Cast
- Charlie: Andrew R. Butler
- Grover: Eli Gelb
- Reg: Zachary Hart
- Diana: Lucy Karczewski
- Peter: Jack Riddiford
- Simon: Chris Stack
- Holly: Nia Towle
Rating: ★★★★★
What is Stereophonic about?
Plug into the electric atmosphere as one up-and-coming rock band record the album that could propel them to superstardom. Amid a powder keg of drugs, booze and jealousy, songs come together and relationships fall apart. The mics are on, the tapes are rolling, but with this band, someone’s always out of tune…
What are my thoughts on Stereophonic?
Learning of the creative’s intentions make Stereophonic feel like a music documentary onstage, Daniel Aukin’s direction and David Adjmi’s book create a naturalistic play that’s intimate yet epic. The fourth wall is fully broken as we witness personal and creative relationships crack in a British-American rock group trying to create their sophomore album. With the 70’s California setting and the group consisting of two couples on the verge of breaking up (often with drugs and alcohol involved), parallels to Fleetwood Mac’s infamously tumultuous creation of their Rumours album feel inevitable. It’s also a parallel that feels reductive to the compelling drama David Adjmi has created surrounding power dynamics and the pursuit of art.
As someone who finds the creative process so fascinating, Stereophonic that goes into often extreme lengths people take to make a piece of art. With a 3-hour 15-minute run time split into four acts, we feel the arduous length it takes to create the album yet it never drags. The band’s forced to record songs in double digit takes. It takes six days to fix the drum kit for one song. They work into the early hours of the morning and in one heartbreaking scene are forced to choose between cutting verses or the entire song for time. Despite their shared goal of artistic success, everyone’s differing opinions on the journey to get there is what leads to their downfall.
While Stereophonic’s plot revolves around music and features original songs, it falls firmly into the play with music category. Will Butler’s rock songs are memorable and would easily fit into a 70’s playlist. While we mostly hear snippets of background vocals, instrumentals and tracks to be added later, songs such as Masquerade, Drive and Bright are filled to the brim with energy as the brand reaches creative breakthroughs. With characters playing their instruments live, it’s no wonder Ryan Rumery’s sound design earned him a Tony as music is mixed and edited in real time with a period appropriate studio mixer.
I must also not forget David Zinn’s beautifully constructed set design of a recording studio which immerses the audience with wooden walls and shag carpeting, the giant sound mixer the focal point. The booth exposes the inner workings of the group like they’re trapped in a fish bowl, characters feeling like specimens to be examined as they perform take after take. Enver Chakartash’s costumes also add to the 1970’s feel yet have a current edge, even having some looks I’d personally wear now.
What’s the cast like?
With some familiar faces and newcomers at the helm, they all help make the group’s journey from tight-knit friends to barely being able to be in the same room in the space of a year so compelling. With the direction and writing preventing them from being cardboard cutouts of rockstar stereotypes, the cast only add to them all feeling human.
Jack Riddiford’s Peter brings classic rockstar egotism as his controlling and perfectionistic attitude leads to explosive outbursts, going behind people’s backs and insulting his longtime girlfriend Diana’s musical talents. However, you empathise as they stem from a competitive upbringing and desperation for validation. In her West End debut, Lucy Karzcewski brings soulful vocals and a rawness as Diana learns to find confidence in her musical abilities and branch out. Zachary Hart’s bass player Reg brings humour yet fragility as he replaces alcohol and cocaine with a series of new addictions that impact his marriage to keyboardist Holly, played with passion and ambition. Chris Stack’s drummer Simon brings an immature charm as he tries mediating both couples.
The two standouts for me however are the returning Eli Gelb and Andrew R. Butler as sound engineers Grover and Charlie. Creating a hilarious duo gossiping about the band’s drama, they both grow disillusioned throughout the album’s creation as they endure the group’s egos. Grover especially gets a compelling arc starting off unsure after fudging his resume with a mention of sound engineering for the Eagles to growing in confidence to the point of earning a producer credit.
What are my overall thoughts?
It’s often said that the journey can be more interesting than the final product, but Stereophonic is one that masters both. With Adjmi’s funny yet raw script, Audin’s naturalistic direction and Butler’s electric songs, the three have created a compelling new play that exposes the painful side of the pursuit of art. Whether you’re interested in music production or are pursuing any creative field, this is one to watch . Buy your ticket to the masquerade as soon as possible.
Stereophonic runs at the Duke of York’s Theatre until October 11th. Buy your tickets here.
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