A rock band’s one year odyssey to create a classic album is culled into a four act, three hour play. Stereophonic is a brilliant synthesis of fictionalized documentary, raw human emotions, impressive theatrical staging and an intelligent, wide-eyed glimpse into the creative process. The journey is arduous and the rewards are abundant.
The template is Fleetwood Mac and the album is Rumours, one of the biggest from the 1970’s. David Adjmi has set his play entirely within a recording studio. The engineering booth is in the foreground and the glass enclosing recording studio is behind. This story will traverse both locations covering everything from life’s minutiae to artistic conflicts mid-recording.
How closely does this monitor the Fleetwood Mac story? The five piece band consists of two couples and a drummer. Keyboardist Holly (Juliana Canfield) and bassist Reg (Will Brill) are British like Christine and John McVie. Guitarist and self-anointed king Peter (Tom Pecinka) and writer extraordinaire Diana (Sarah Pidgeon) mirror the long dating American duo Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Then there’s the Dad figure Simon (Chris Stack) who plays drums ala Mick Fleetwood and whose wife and children are back home in England.
This outline was also used as the basis for the novel and television series Daisy Jones and the Six. I read that book and enjoyed much of the series. This foray into familiar territory is far more claustrophobic. It is not necessary to know the real backgrounds being referenced but nostalgic gratification is a bonus for those who have a deep connection to this music and the period.
Mr. Adjmi’s play adds an engineer (Eli Gelb) and his assistant Charlie (Andrew R. Butler) to the proceedings. They are trying to manage the creative chaos. Grover lied about his resume to get the job so the power dynamic rests, at least initially, entirely with the band. The assistant is a good natured, slightly vapid guy. Both struggle to keep these recording sessions on track. That is no easy feat.
The brilliance of this play lies in the realistic naturalism of everyday conversations juxtaposed against the tensions of relationships. The setting allows for detailed character moments in between laying down new music. A good portion of the play takes place in the studio. Will Butler of Arcade Fire penned the original music and they amazingly capture the sound of this band and that album.
Songs are performed but sometimes in snippets. The fits and starts of dealing with technical issues and vocal adjustments are concerns. Five individuals and their unique visions are equally tension generators. You know this album will get made over this year long process and, remarkably, you witness this passage of time. Songs get cut and added, fixed and improved. Watching this musical evolution is as much a treat as immersing oneself into the character conflicts brought to vibrant life with superb and highly nuanced acting performances.
Daniel Aukin directed this superlative cast and every performer inhabits a fully realized character. The play’s arc covers a great deal of territory. Different combinations allow for scenes in larger groups and smaller subsets. The pot scene between the three male band members is both very funny and hugely relatable. The success of this play is in the realistic details effortlessly conveyed. Substance abuse, egos, snare drum screwups and dust on the monitor all factor into the mix.
David Zinn’s scenic design is a two level marvel (I wanted to steal the lamp on stage right). Enver Chakartash’s costumes are a never ending parade of pitch perfect fashions of the era. The sound design from Ryan Rumery is the critical element elevating the entire production. Studio and engineering booth have to be heard differently which occurs beautifully and often simultaneously. Musical moments are so fantastically staged (and sung) that the line between fiction and documentary gets blurry.
Most of the cast in Stereophonic are making their Broadway debuts following a successful mounting of this play last fall at Playwrights Horizons. Mr. Adjmi has written memorably for all of them. Like everyone, these people have flaws and dreams. The real life Rumours album was a watershed moment for the band Fleetwood Mac. Stereophonic ponders the hows and whys, the highs and lows, and the magical happenstance which afforded these people the opportunity to create a masterpiece. This fascinatingly complex and totally satisfying play is an achievement at that level.