Interview: Claire DeJean of STEREOPHONIC at Hollywood Pantages Theatre

Fresh off the heels of Stereophonic’s Tony-winning Broadway run, the national tour is now winding its way across the country—hitting the Pantages Theatre for a nearly monthlong run December 9 through January 2. 

The show, which won five Tony Awards, including Best Play, in 2024, introduces audiences to the backstage world of a 1970s rock band on the brink of both brilliance and implosion. At the center of it all is Claire DeJean, who stars as Diana, the group’s quietly powerful lead singer whose creative awakening becomes one of the show’s most affecting arcs.

Between shows, DeJean spoke with BroadwayWorld about life on the road, the thrill of performing this music live, and why stepping into the 1970s feels so natural. 

How long have you been on tour now?

Oh my gosh, we started in September, in Seattle. So it's been maybe two months. I lost total track of time, but I think so.

It must be a grueling schedule. How’s it going?

It's great. We just came off our first break, so I got to go home and see my family, hang out with my friends, and my dog, and that was all wonderful.  

This is your first Broadway tour, right?

It is.

For people who haven’t seen Stereophonic, give us a one- or two-line summary.

We like to say it's kind of a fly-on-the-wall experience of watching a band in the 1970s create this great piece of work. It follows their relationships, the trials and tribulations of making art. I always say if you're in any field where you're an artist or interested in art, it's an amazing look at the creative process that people will resonate with or be intrigued by.

Tell us about your character.

I play Diana, who's the lead singer of this band. She has been dating Peter, one of the main producers who's also in the band. She has this amazing arc—she's been with Peter her whole life, and that's kind of the reason she's in these rooms. But she actually has this inner talent for writing songs, this musical spark that's ignited through the process of the show. As an audience member, you get to see her journey growing. She's a character you may not think is important at the beginning, which is one of my favorite things about her.

Tell me how you relate to her.

She has this talent and this very loose confidence. She loves to write and express herself through music. Looking at women in this time, I don't think she's able to express her feelings loudly in real life, so writing is an outlet for her. I relate a lot to that. And she constantly wonders: Am I enough? Am I good enough to be here? I love doing this—why is it sticking? It's scary but thrilling.

When you say that, are you talking about you or the character? Or both?

I think both. Mostly the character, but I feel the same way in this experience. I've done a bunch of auditions and have confidence that I want to be an actress, but at the same time, there are so many people—and they chose me to tell this story. Am I good enough? I'm trying my best. What's after this? It's hard, and I'm also trying to stay present and enjoy the moment. 

Were you a fan of this era of music before the show?

Yes, totally. I've been listening to music from this era since I was pretty young. I was really excited about this opportunity.

So you knew that you wanted to be in this show, specifically? 

I had heard about it, and I saw it on Broadway. My boyfriend is a sound engineer, so I brought him to see it. I was like, “Wow, this character is really fabulous.” Then I auditioned for the tour, and something just clicked.

You’ve been cast in several 70s shows—Mamma Mia, Hair—what is it about you that attracts that?

I don't know. I looked at my Spotify Wrapped this morning and it said my listening age was 70, so maybe I was born in the wrong era. I love the era—the music, the fashion. And there are parallels between that time and today. Playing a woman in the 70s in 2025 is fascinating.

You went to school for musical theater and have done quite a few traditional theater roles. Was it hard to shift from musical-theater voice to this rock style of singing?

To be honest, it's much more natural for me to sing this way. I grew up with more of a music background and spent a lot of time writing music in high school. I was on “The Voice” for a brief period. I have a strange trajectory. I didn’t really know where I was going to go next, and theater school taught me so much about being an actor and broadening my horizons.

Did you initially want to be a pop/rock singer?

I had a musical-theater love since I was pretty young, then I fell into performing and writing and pop singing. I also auditioned for straight acting schools. I was like, “Wherever the wind blows me is the right place.” Since graduating, I hadn’t been working much in musical theater—I was doing a lot of TV and film work. So this feels like a homecoming.

How old were you when you did The Voice?

I was 17—so young.

You’ve done TV, songwriting, and now musicals. What’s the area you feel most drawn to?

Honestly, I really enjoy acting right now. I’ll always love writing music and want to come back to it, but I'm curious about doing an acting project after this show. I would also obviously love to do another Broadway show, but I'm kind of curious about doing something almost completely different than this. That might just be a theme in my life—it's nice to just kind of follow what opportunities come.  

So let’s talk some more about Stereophonic itself. Is all the music played live by the cast?

 Yes. For the most part, everything is us on stage. There are a few little bits we recorded during rehearsal, but it's still us. There’s no orchestra pit or extra band.

Do you play an instrument?

Yes. I play a little piano in the show, and the tambourine.

Was that intimidating?

Totally. I struggled with piano in college. I'm not a confident piano player—I'm more of a guitar player. 

So did you have to take lessons to learn the piano for the show? 

Yes, I took many lessons for this show. Luckily, Diana is also a novice player, so it feels natural to be nervous at the piano.

The Stereophonic cast is small. What are the relationships like off stage? Any parallels to the show's conflicts?

Honestly, way less conflict. Everyone is down to earth, sweet, and supportive. A lot of them have more experience than I do, so I'm learning a lot. . . . There are parallels—creative differences, blurred lines between reality and Stereophonic-land. Sometimes I feel totally Diana, or someone is totally Peter. You'll understand when you see the show.

The whole musical takes place on essentially one set. So are you on stage for the whole three(-ish) hours?

Honestly, it goes by so fast. I have almost no downtime; if I'm offstage, I'm changing into another fabulous outfit. The set stays the same, but it feels like we move through time quickly.

So you’re working up until Christmas Eve. What are you doing for Christmas in L.A.?

I think we're going to have a Christmas celebration—maybe on Christmas or maybe after. We have a Secret Santa, which is so fun. I really want to go to Disneyland, but I'm excited to be in L.A.—I have friends there, my family is coming, some of my team is based there. I lived there a little while working on The Voice, so it feels like a homecoming.

Final question: What do you most wish from the 70s was still a thing today?

The denim—and the way the jeans make the butt look. As a bigger thing, I love the idea of peace. I try to bring that through my life, and I think that's a big reason I resonate with that era.

Stereophonic plays at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre from December 9 through January 2. Tickets are available at broadwayinhollywood.com. 

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