‘Stereophonic’ Theater Review: David Adjmi’s Audaciously Original Play Is a Transfixing Look at Building Art Out of Emotional Wreckage

shares both a hyper-naturalistic style and a sprawling three-hour running time with that 2013 masterwork. But the similarities end there. Chronicling a turbulent year in California recording studios during which a fictional 1970s rock band labors over the follow-up to their breakthrough album, this is an immersive plunge into the fraught process of artistic collaboration as pressures mount and interpersonal harmony dissolves into acrimony.

But those similarities are merely the skeleton on which Adjmi hangs his riveting study of making art out of emotional turmoil. Every one of the band members is a fully fleshed-out character, and while some of them may share traits with their Fleetwood Mac counterparts — Peter, the egomaniacal control-freak, tracks closely with revelations about Buckingham that have emerged over the years — nothing feels borrowed.

Reg’s diet of bourbon and blow becomes a problem, not just in his marriage to Holly but in his discipline with the work. Diana, while showing early signs of emerging as the band’s breakout star, is insecure about her lack of musical literacy. “I can’t be a rock star and be this stupid,” she moans. When Peter, who repeatedly undermines her shaky self-confidence, tells her to lose the tambourine, she has a mini crisis about what to do with her hands .

The sexual politics of the era are evident not just in the attitudes of the male band members but also in the often wickedly funny idle banter between Grover and Charlie. But the play’s central conflict is the fissure that widens between Peter and Diana, who have been together nine years. A stranger to tact, he constantly talks down to her and grows impatient with her insecurities, which have roots back in their struggling early days when she held down a crappy job so he could focus on music.

The attention to even the smallest detail of this environment will make the play especially enticing to musicians with studio experience, but it’s never inaccessible to audiences lacking in specialized knowledge.

Entertainment Entertainment Latest News, Entertainment Entertainment Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Theater Review: 'Stereophonic' is a brilliant 'Behind the Music' play on BroadwayA five-piece rock band enters a recording studio in 1976 at the beginning of “Stereophonic” on Broadway. Playwright David Adjmi is telling the story of a Fleetwood Mac-like band with five members working on music with two sound engineers. The play takes place over a life-changing year, with personal rifts opening and closing and then reopening.
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »

Review: ‘Stereophonic,’ about a band under pressure, is a Broadway show not to be missedA fictional British group is making a studio album in California between the summers of 1976 and 1977. You never see their lives outside of the recording studio in David Adjmi’s masterful play, but…
Source: chicagotribune - 🏆 8. / 91 Read more »

Theater Camp: A Breath of Fresh Air for Theater KidsTheater kids often get a bad reputation due to portrayals in movies and shows. However, Theater Camp offers a refreshing and accurate representation of theater kids.
Source: Collider - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

St. George Musical Theater plans to build new theater, renovate old Cinema 6 for community artsThe St. George Musical Theater is expanding through the construction of new and improved theater and renovation of an old movie theater that will be home to a performing arts campus.
Source: KSLcom - 🏆 549. / 51 Read more »

Stereophonic to release an album featuring original cast'Stereophonic,' the critically acclaimed play about a fictional 1970s rock band creating an album, will release a cast album with music by Arcade Fire's Will Butler.
Source: EW - 🏆 713. / 51 Read more »

Music Review: Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is great sad pop, meditative theaterFans believe the album titled 'Tortured Poets Department' will explore the global superstar's heartbreak after splitting with actor Joe Alwyn.
Source: KING5Seattle - 🏆 457. / 53 Read more »