David Adjmi’s Stereophonic zooms in on a music studio in the mid-1970s, where an up-and-coming rock band recording a new album finds itself suddenly on the cusp of superstardom. Will the ensuing pressures spark their breakup — or their breakthrough? Featuring original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, this intimate, electric play mines the agony and the ecstasy of creation.
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.
The only negative is that, while Stereophonic is always engaging, it is far too long at three hours. Director Daniel Aukin can do only so much when a script is that lengthy, and he does his best to keep things moving without seeming like the story is fast-forwarding, but many people left at intermission, perhaps due to the fact that, despite there being a lot of humor, the show could use a boost of energy.
| 2023 | Off-Broadway |
Playwrights Horizons Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
| 2024 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2025 | West End |
West End |
| 2025 | US Tour |
US Tour |
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