Stereophonic (play)

Stereophonic
Broadway promotional poster
Written by	David Adjmi
Music by	Will Butler
Lyrics by	Will Butler
Date premiered	October 29, 2023
Place premiered	Playwrights Horizons, New York City
Original language	English
Genre	Drama
Setting	Sausalito, California, 1976

Stereophonic is a dramatic stage play with music, written by American playwright David Adjmi. Music written for the play was composed by Will Butler from the indie rock band Arcade Fire.^[1] The play follows a fictional rock band on the cusp of superstardom as they struggle through recording their new album set from 1976 to 1977.^[2] The production debuted at Playwrights Horizons off-Broadway in 2023 before transferring to Broadway at the John Golden Theatre in 2024.

The production received critical acclaim, with critics comparing the material to the real life band Fleetwood Mac and its 1977 album Rumours.^[3][4]

The production made history as the play holding the record for the most Tony Award nominations; it received 13 nominations, breaking the record previously held by the Jeremy O. Harris play Slave Play (2020), which received 12 Tony Award nominations.^[5] At the 77th Tony Awards, the play won five awards: Best Play, Best Direction of a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play (for Will Brill; Eli Gelb and Tom Pecinka also received nominations for the award), Best Sound Design of a Play, and Best Scenic Design of a Play. Juliana Canfield and Sarah Pidgeon both received nominations for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

Stereophonic also received the Drama Desk Award, the Drama League Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play of the 2023/2024 season.

In 1976, a famous British-American rock band composed of drummer Simon, married couple bassist Reg and keyboardist/vocalist Holly, and longtime partners guitarist/vocalist Peter and vocalist/tambourinist Diana are in the early stages of recording their next album in a recording studio in Sausalito, California. They are assisted by two sound engineers, Grover and Charlie. Despite the significant studio support, the members' individual conflicts coupled with mounting tensions among the group causes the recording process to take over a year.

Adjmi and Butler began working on the piece in 2014, with the project being workshopped in 2018 at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab.^[6] Adjmi wanted to create a piece of theatre that felt like the audience was watching a documentary unfolding on stage, while avoiding the piece becoming a full-blown musical. The set design includes real music recording equipment.^[7][8] As cast member Eli Gelb said, "It’s all recorded live. The entire band, every instrument, every audio signal ... every night. Every audio signal that you hear is routed to a mixer."^[9]

The play premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on October 6, 2023, with an official opening of October 26, directed by Daniel Aukin. It was named Best Play of the Year by the Washington Post, and "hands-down the best American play since the pandemic" by former New York Times critic Ben Brantley. Stereophonic was named Best of 2023 by numerous publications, including the New Yorker, New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Wrap, and Time Out New York. After multiple extensions, the play closed on December 17, 2023.^[10]

In January 2024, it was announced the play would transfer to Broadway in early 2024 for a limited engagement. The show began previews on April 2, 2024, and officially opened on Broadway on April 19 at the John Golden Theatre. The production was scheduled to run until July 7, 2024 before being extended multiple times due to popular demand.^{[11][12][13][14]} The production received acclaim from critics, earning 5 wins and 13 nominations at the 77th Tony Awards. The show won Best Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Will Brill), Best Direction of a Play (Daniel Aukin), Best Scenic Design of a Play (David Zinn), and Best Sound Design of a Play (Ryan Rumery).^[15] It tied with the jukebox musical Hell's Kitchen as the two most nominated shows at the ceremony.^[16] Stereophonic now holds the record for the most Tony nominations by a play, surpassing the record previously held by Slave Play.^[17] Sarah Pidgeon, Juliana Canfield, and Tom Pecinka are scheduled to depart the production on September 29 with Amy Forsyth, Rebecca Naomi Jones, and Benjamin Anthony expected to replace their respective roles as Diana, Holly, and Peter respectively.^[18]

The production is scheduled to close on January 12, 2025^[18]

• Diana: Amy Forsyth^[18]
• Holly: Rebecca Naomi Jones^[18]
• Peter: Benjamin Anthony Anderson ^[18]

Although the play is not a musical, several 1970s inspired original songs are played live in the set's "studio" as the play depicts the recording of the album. In the Off-Broadway and Broadway version, the actors themselves supply all the vocals and play all the music, though many in the cast had to learn to play their instrument for this production. Will Brill had never even held a bass before being cast as the band's bassist.^[19]

An original cast recording of the music from Stereophonic was released digitally on May 10, 2024, and became available on CD on June 14, 2024.^[20]

Track listing

• "Seven Roads"
• "Bright v1"
• "Masquerade"
• "Bright (Fast)"
• "Drive"
• "Champagne"
• "East of Eden"
• "Domino"
• "'It's made of teak'"
• "In Your Arms"
• "BVs"
• "Exorcist II"
• "Campfire Masquerade"
• "Bright (Take 22)"

A lawsuit has been filed against David Adjmi, alleging that it infringes on the memoir Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album by Ken Caillat and Steven Stiefel. The lawsuit claims that the play is an unauthorized adaptation of the book, detailing events similar to those in Caillat’s experience as a sound engineer and co-producer of Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours. The suit highlights similarities in the play’s story arc, set design, and specific incidents, arguing that the play mirrors many elements from the memoir, including personal and technical details of the recording process. Adjmi has not yet commented on the lawsuit, but has previously stated that the play draws from various sources, including classic rock acts like Fleetwood Mac. The plaintiffs are seeking damages, claiming the play’s success is built on their intellectual property.^[21][22]

• Official website
• ​Stereophonic​ at the Internet Broadway Database