David John Chavez

Here in the Bay Area, there’s something special about seeing Stereophonic — a co-production between ACT and BroadwaySF — finally performed in its spiritual home. The studio is clearly modeled after the Record Plant in Sausalito, where Fleetwood Mac recorded Rumours. Band members take breaks to eat at Juanita’s, the famed Sausalito restaurant-slash-three ring circus run by the region’s most colorful owner and chef. There’s also a terrific vintage T-shirt (period costumes were designed by Enver Chakartash) from a venerable San Leandro sports bar, some potent weed from Santa Cruz, and references to Tiburon, Stinson Beach and Oakland.

History and progress rarely follow a straight line. “How long must women wait for liberty” is one of the many questions the musical asks. The show is dedicated to the sacrifices made by the suffragettes — hunger strikes, blood on the brow, bodies collapsing from exhaustion — but what’s not to be forgotten is that mothers, daughters and sisters were there for legacy. When all was said and done, the 19th amendment was there. But unless the fight continues, those inalienable rights may just disappear.