Interview: Emilie Kouatchou talks STEREOPHONIC

Actor and singer Emilie Kouatchou is only in her twenties and she’s already making musical theater history.

Indeed, Kouatchou not only made her Broadway debut in 2021 in “The Phantom of the Opera,” she also became the first black performer to play Christine Daaé in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

After completing a year in that now-closed show, Kouatchou became an understudy in the Broadway production of “Stereophonic,” which won five 2024 Tony Awards, including Best Play, out of 13 nominations, making it the most Tony-nominated play of all time.

Set in 1976 and 1977, the four-act stage play, written by playwright David Adjmi with music by composer Will Butler from the indie rock band Arcade Fire, follows a fictional British-American rock band on the verge of superstardom as they struggle through recording their new album and navigating their romantic travails. The first national tour of “Stereophonic” plays Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre March 10 to 15.

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Kouatchou portrays Holly, the band’s keyboardist and backup vocalist. Married to Reg, the band’s bassist, Holly is the group’s emotional caretaker, and often the only most mature person in the room.

By Zoom from a recent Washington, D.C., tour stop, the Palatine, Illinois, native discussed the immersive drama of “Stereophonic,” playing Christine in “The Phantom of the Opera,” and what it’s like to be on HBO’s “The Gilded Age.”

It won five Tony awards and significant acclaim on Broadway, but how would you describe “Stereophonic” for anyone planning to see it for the first time in Boston?

The premise of the show is about a band in the ’70s in the recording studio, working on an album. But it’s really an intense and focused look at the creative process, and the relationship drama that happens among band members who are invested in something. They’re in a tight, closed space for hours on end, and there are two couples in the band going through breakups and getting back together, so drama is bound to spurt out, even while they’re also remaining professional in the recording studio.

When did you first become familiar with the show?

I was auditioning to be an understudy when I saw it for the first time. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. But what really makes it super unique and different from any other play I’ve ever worked on or seen, is that it’s a fly-on-the-wall experience, and the dialogue is very similar to how we talk in normal life. There’s nothing presentational about it.

How does that make it different from other plays and musicals?

There are no “let’s stand up and tap” numbers, or monologues directed at the audience. There’s nothing like that, in fact. Instead, it’s very intimate and often feels like you’re looking in on something you shouldn’t be watching, but can’t turn away from.

This show has been compared to watching Fleetwood Mac record their now-iconic album “Rumours” while dealing with the romantic entanglements of Christine and John McVie, and Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. Is the comparison real?

Ours is a fictional story, so it’s not based on Fleetwood Mac. It takes inspiration from a lot of different bands of the 1960s and ‘70s, but I wouldn’t say it’s about Fleetwood Mac at all. It’s a story about the band in this play, and there are a lot of different groups you can relate it to.

What’s your take on your character?

I see Holly as one of the more grounded members in the band, who the others turn to. She acts as the sounding board for her bandmates, and the voice of reason. I wouldn’t say she’s nice, but she is very direct and witty. Holly cares a lot, but she doesn’t like to show it. She’s someone who doesn’t like her personal business to come out in the workplace. That can prove to be difficult, though, because she’s married to the bassist and their relationship is so tumultuous, so it does come at work, which is horrifying for her.

In your opinion, why does Holly feel that way and how does she want to be perceived?

She likes her private life to be just that. She would prefer her work and creative process be independent from the way people view whatever drama she has with her husband. She wants to be taken seriously, because she’s one of the only women, and the only person of color, in the band, and that means a lot to her when she is at work.

And when something happens that interferes with that, she goes into this zone where she can’t look at anyone or even talk to them. She simply does not want her emotions to rise to the surface when she’s at work.

Do you relate to the character?

I do, because I find myself suppressing a lot of emotion when I’m with people. And that’s a part of myself that I bring to the role. I don’t know, however, if I’m as sharp as Holly. She can be very sharp and very direct. She also has a kind of power that I feel I also have within me, but which I would like to unleash more.

What was it like to make your Broadway debut in “The Phantom of the Opera”?

It was the craziest time of my life so far. It was a lot of pressure. It was amazing, too, because there was something just unreal about the love that I got from people. So many of them said that I inspired them. I was maybe 24 and I didn’t feel like I should be inspiring anyone at that point in my life, but people were really looking up to me as Christine, and having a black person in that role for the first time really resonated with them. They saw themselves in me, which is everything that you could ask for as a performer. I’m very grateful for that experience and that time in my life.

You’re in heady company among the big-name Broadway performers in HBO’s “The Gilded Age” – Christine Baranski, Denée Benton, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Cynthia Nixon, Kelli O’Hara, Audra McDonald. Who do you play on the show?

I play Mabel and she’s the Best Friend of Denée’s character, Peggy. Mabel comes into the story when Peggy is struggling and needs Mabel’s friendship and sense of grounding. I wouldn’t say Mabel is the biggest role, but it’s a fun show to be on. I’ve done two episodes over two seasons so far and would be open to doing more.