Stereophonic
What is the appeal of 1970’s nostalgia media? The sex, drugs, rock and roll, or the extremely flattering bell bottoms? Whatever it may be, I’ve fallen victim to its continued return to pop culture, with an “Almost Famous” musical debuting on Broadway last year, months before “Daisy Jones & The Six,” premiered on Prime. There’s also a clip of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham angrily singing, “Silver Springs,” at each other that routinely goes viral on TikTok. We’re obsessed with this era and “Stereophonic” makes a unique addition to the catalogue, currently running at Playwright’s Horizons mainstage theater.
As a large proponent of the ninety-minute, no intermission model, I was discouraged by the approximately three hour run time. The four acts, however, flow extremely well and don’t allow for much wasted space. We begin with the band in a recording studio, a awe-inspiring, mesmerizing set designed by David Zinn, where we get to see the live performances in the booth, behind the sound mixing room, where the non-lyrical drama can unfold. They are tasked with recording their album as singles from their previous life begin to pop up on Top 40, hurtling them with unexpected fame, an increased budget, and mounting pressure to deliver. The relationships are hard to establish at first as the free love movement has everyone making out with everyone, but it’s revealed through the play to have one couple together, one couple divorced, and one married man with a wife overseas.
The music in the show, written by Will Butler of Arcade Fire, is absolutely electric. Although it would fall under the plays with music category rather than grouped with musicals, they are very central to the dramatic action while also being massively impressive. Sarah Pidgeon as Diana was one of my personal standouts of the ensemble, when after having a sobbing and screaming match with Peter (Tom Pecinka), she strolled over to the mic and sang a hauntingly beautiful bridge. The entire cast is filled with emotionally volatile performances that are executed to perfection, immediately followed by showstopping guitar solos and tight harmonies.
The scenic design will be stuck in my head like a song for a while, but the performances from top to bottom were magnetic and stand on their own. Although it will suffer major comparison to Fleetwood Mac, Stereophonic feels singular and special, a can’t miss of this season. If you are under 35, I highly recommend signing up for their free Young Membership, which got me a second row seat for $20.
